Our Illusions
by SkyePrints
Summary: Life was hard but he was happy. He had his twin, an amazing girlfriend, magick and life was never boring in a caravan. But all of that changed when the twins got the attention of a tyrant king. Now Dipper is stuck trying to save both their lives, and Mabel's chastity. Throw in a golden haired man offering horrific deals, with eyes that make him weirdly melt & Panic time! (BillDipp)
1. Rumors of Alchemy

The cuffs on the gypsy teen's wrists chafed and streaks of blood smeared their way down his pale forearms. Jaw clenched, he gave an extra hard yank at them and hissed underneath his breath as yet another sharp stinging burn jolted up his arm like lightning. The damn things were definitely cursed.

"Dipper! Stop it!" His twin's worried voice broke through Dipper's concentrated gloom, making his tired brown eyes meet her mirrored ones. Her eyes were so downcast and puffy from tears that he felt his own irritation build even more. The shimmering violet skirt she wore was torn, and matted with mud, and her pale skin was covered in scrapes and dirt from when she was violently thrown to the ground. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't even reach out to hug her. The cuffs linked to a second set on his ankles, which kept him in a constant hunched over position. This made things interesting when riding in a rocky carriage, every bump nearly sent him toppling over onto his side.

"Well I can't just sit here Mabel! I need to get us out of here!" The brunet spat back, looking down at his worn charcoal grey pants and dirty bare feet. He hadn't even had time to grab shoes. "I just…need to think." Despite saying this, he felt more hopeless than ever. Dipper had been racking his brain for the past hour and nothing helpful was coming. It seemed his ability to strategize had run out.

The shackles were enchanted; if you struggled too much they bit deeper and deeper into your skin, probably eventually going to the bone.  
Even if he managed to get out of the cuffs, there were the bars that caged them within the covered wagon, and the Royal Enchanters, also known as the king's "Huntsmen" for short, seated on the back and front of the wagon.  
A ratty, thick tarp covered the outside of the bars effectively keeping them hidden and blinded, but Dipper guessed they had been riding for about an hour and the bumps in the roads were getting less and less. This could only mean they were on the cobbled royal road close to the palace.  
Really close to the biggest cage of all.

While his fingers yanked at his hair Dipper curled in on himself and pressed his forehead to his knee. His mind was slowly sinking back, away from the dank, stuffy carriage.

This wasn't the first time they had been captured by Huntsmen. Back when the twins were 11, Huntsmen came to collect money their parents owed to the king of Athezia. They lived on the king's land, and gave part of their profit and crops to him from what they grew. Crops were bad that year. Their family was starving, but of course Huntsmen are trained to be heartless.  
Their parents' blood painted the floor of their living room scarlet, and the Huntsmen took the new orphans to be slaves at the king's palace.

However, that time the Huntsmen had just used ropes and were too drunk off of cheap wine to pay too much attention to the orphans. Dipper was already an amateur Enchanter by that point, taught by his father. He used a simple spell and untied them. They escaped.

They found their way to the next town over on foot, and were discovered by family friends. Another set of twins named Stanley and Stanford, who were leaders of a gypsy caravan. With Dipper's little training in magick, or enchanting as the kingdom calls it, and Mabel's enthusiasm to learn anything she could, Stanley easily gave them jobs as performers, which became the Pines siblings' new lives.

Light flooded the wagon as two Huntsmen yanked them out, effectively wrenching the male twin from his memories. The light disoriented Dipper, blinding him for a terrifying moment. The young man didn't regain vision until the Huntsmen had already removed the ankle shackles and were shoving him up the palace steps. Basically he fell his way up the stairs while keeping a steady eye on Mabel. They were gentler with her, firm but only keeping a hand on her shoulder to make sure she didn't run.

The stairs up to the castle entrance were steep and ridiculously extensive, made entirely of shining marble. Dipper's hands clenched into fists in front of him as he swallowed the anxious lump forming in his throat. A shadow fell over the teen when he stepped up onto the landing after the stairs; the palace seemed to be looming over him, watching as they entered its mouth. The guards shoved him forward, making him stumble again, jerking his shackles and making them dig further into his skin. Dipper's blood dripped to the marble landing, and he stepped over it towards the open palace doors. It was ready to devour them, and he quickly looked back to catch a last glimpse of the pale blue sky. Lazy clouds flew overhead before they were blocked out by the closing palace doors; the ominous hollow echo of the doors caused the floor to tremor beneath their feet like a stamp of finality.

Mabel managed to step closer to him and take his sweaty hand, not an easy process considering the cuffs kept their wrists bound close together near their bodies. Dipper gave her hand a timid squeeze as they were led through a brightly lit foyer. The palace had a lot of windows, filling the room with the sweet spring air from outside. Some stretched so close to the floor and high ceiling they were like doorways but Dipper could already feel the magical electricity coming from them. If you weren't meant to get in, or if you weren't meant to leave, you wouldn't.

The Huntsmen led them across marble floors, into hallways with rich carpets and portraits, always with high ceilings and such elegant architecture that Dipper could barely believe his eyes. Everything was cool and immaculate. It all was filled with ancient magick, and precious decorations like statues, pottery, and art of all sorts.

Even more amazing were the brooms, mops, and other cleaning supplies that seemed to be moving by themselves, quietly cleaning up the already spotless palace. Then again, it was probably spotless because of the enchanted cleaning supplies. Dipper didn't see any servants cleaning, in fact it seemed like the palace ran by itself, but someone had to be doing the magick. Lights illuminated the halls from almost nowhere, the singing of birds filled the air and when Dipper looked over at Mabel he saw that her eyes were locked overhead. Just as he thought, birds were sitting on the rafters overhead, and yet they weren't being shit on. Must be more magick.

Athezia is the only kingdom known to have magick. In fact, that's what it offered in trade to the neighboring kingdoms. Magick potions to keep you healthy, enchanted toys to entertain your children for hours, clothes that never wrinkle, soil that grew fields upon fields of crops almost overnight. The people from there just seemed to have magick in their blood. Yet everything in Athezia wasn't perfect like it pretended to be. They were almost at war with a larger technologically advanced kingdom called Delanu, and their own king was a tyrant. He didn't care about his people, and it was rumored that he had nearly bankrupt the entire kingdom. However, no one dared to say that in anything more than a whisper in passing when there wasn't a chance a Huntsman was listening. Even then, people barely spoke, because it was also rumored that the king was the most powerful Enchanter to be born in his family line. He had eyes everywhere.

The twin's parents had both been Enchanters, but only simple things like agriculture. Dipper was the only one between him and his twin born with magick, and he didn't favor agriculture. He preferred things like Illusions. He could make something appear to be something else for a short period of time, but it never lasted long. Though apparently it was realistic enough for him to be rumored to be the only human who could practice the one magick Athezian's couldn't actually accomplish… alchemy.

When Dipper pulled his eyes away from the ceiling, he found himself standing beside Mabel in a throne room. They were in the middle and left trembling there like two sewer rats in the kitchen of a 5 star restaurant. Not only did they stick out because they didn't belong there, but they felt like someone was about to chop off their tails. Dipper dropped his eyes, not daring to look up at the throne within a yard of them. He could hear the king talking to one of the Huntsmen, but his majesty's body was blocked by the larger guard. They were whispering something he couldn't make out.

The throne room was grander than most of the rooms the twins had a chance to peak at. It had towering white columns that aligned each wall, 4 on either side, holding up the rounded ceiling. Most of the room was decorated in blue and silver, those were the colors of the royals in Athezia. At the center of the room the ceiling opened up to show a dome of glass, revealing the blue sky from outside. Paintings of angels, mystical creatures, and many other things decorated the parts of the ceiling that weren't glass. Everything was wide and drafty. The sunlight coming from above warmed Dipper a bit, but he felt like it was all too far away.

Dipper's feet sunk into the deep blue carpet that was rolled out through the center of the room, and when he moved his foot to the side to feel the softness of the material, he noticed how his dirty feet left dark smears over the once pristine cloth. Woops.

His twin's body shook beside him. Just little tremors, and he could hear how her breath came out in uneven huffs as if she held it for too long then had to release it. However, before he could comfort her she took a small step forward "Y-Your majesty… why are we here?"

Shit, why did she speak?

"We didn't do anything wrong.. sir." Despite normally being utterly outspoken, and fiercely opinionated, Mabel was even taking a soft tone. It was something Dipper rarely saw with her, but he still would have rather her not to have spoken at all. Her doe eyes were pleading and she winced when her cuffs dug into her.. She wasn't bleeding like Dipper was, but she still had bright angry pink rings lining her wrists. Her dark wavy brown hair fell over her chest, and she looked so out of place in her ragged belly dancer outfit. Mabel had learned dancing from one of the women in the caravan. She was great at it, though not graceful in any other part of her life.

The bulky Huntsman moved to one side, heading back down the stairs away from the shining throne. Finally, the twins got a view of their king. They had only ever seen him from far away before. He was a year or two younger than them, around 15 maybe. When he stood from his silver and blue throne, Dipper could see the lord was shorter than he himself, the same height as Mabel probably. She reached 5'5, while Dipper hit a gangly 5'9. So he was a child king. Dipper always heard that the king had taken the throne young but the brunet couldn't believe how young. Already the king had been ruling for 5 years, though for the first 2 advisors tried to guide him. That didn't last long, however.

"Why bless my soul I'm so sorry about your conditions!" The king said, coming down the stairs with an exaggerated frown "I told them not to be harsh when they brought you! But you know how Royal Enchanters are, they always take things out of hand." He snapped his pale broad fingers and the twin's cuffs fell from their wrists, clattering noisily to the floor.

Dipper winced at the sudden cool air on his irritated wounds and quickly glanced around, the Huntsmen were gone, but he had a feeling they weren't far away. However, it didn't really matter. If the king was as powerful as rumors said, then they weren't really needed.

Mabel rubbed her wrists as her eyes studied the king nervously "Your majesty, please let us go… We didn't do anything wrong, and our family is probably worried sick about us now."

Their family; it was funny to think the orphans actually had one. They weren't actually related, but really… what made up a family anyway? A flash of shining red hair, and a dazzling freckled smile ran through Dipper's mind and his heart sank. She would be worried sick about them. He could only hope Wendy wouldn't do anything drastic. The red head got worked up when someone she loved was in danger. It wouldn't surprise him if she stormed the castle for them. But he would never forgive himself if she got hurt on his behalf. After all, he was in love with her, and was so close to asking her to be with him forever.

"Call me Gideon my lady." His majesty smiled, wrinkling the freckles over the bridge of his upturned nose while he reached out and took her hand. A few strands of his white hair fell around his blue eyes and he brushed them back as his touched Mabel's wrist. The angry whelps that had formed there slowly faded away "There now, isn't that better?"

Despite the relief that fell over Mabel's features when her wounds were healed, her eyes still held a bit of discomfort in the sudden closeness. "Thank you… your maje-.. Gideon." She took a hasty step back and touched Dipper's hand closest to her, holding it "Could you heal him to? His are worse than mine." Of course Mabel always worried about him first. It was how things had always been, and Dipper gave her hand a small squeeze.

The shorter man frowned a little, his squared jaw clenching as he eyed Dipper. It looked like he was annoyed for a split second before he gave a wide charismatic smile "Well of course my dear."

Before Dipper could protest he felt Gideon's grubby palm yank his free hand away from his body, and his knuckles brushed the front of Gideon's blue suit. The wounds on both of his wrists quickly stopped bleeding "Thank you for healing us…" Even though it was his fault they were hurt in the first place "But could you please explain..."

Gideon dropped Dipper's hand and sighed "Well isn't it obvious? The kingdom needs you my boy." The king gave a small shake of his head and a fluttering laugh, as if he were surprised he were being asked something so evident.

"What are you..?" Dipper held Mabel's hand a bit tighter. Both of their palms were sweaty at this point, but neither moved to let the other go. Needed him? An orphan gypsy? With very little money to his name, and no real practical magick? If the king needed him, then why was Mabel here as well? Something didn't feel right.

"Don't try to hide it from me.. I know what you can do." The young tyrant wagged his finger at Dipper as he walked back towards his throne, obviously expecting them to follow. So of course they did, huddled together and stepping over the shackles still left on the ground.

"I'm just a performer." The male brunet tried to reason, meeting Mabel's worried eyes with his confused ones. The hand that wasn't bound to his own clenched in his rusty red shirt. Mabel tugged at it, probably trying to make sure he wouldn't leave her alone. Not that Dipper could really go anywhere.

Gideon sat on his throne, adjusting his tie as he did so "Ah but you have to have heard the rumors. The gypsy boy who can make anything into anything else." He waved his hands and threaded his fingers together, leaning back against the cushions behind him. If it weren't for his broad shoulders and husky build, he would almost look too small in that throne. "Doesn't that sound awfully like something… special?" Dipper watched a small smile fill the king's lips, blue eyes alight with something between greed and excitement.

"You mean… alchemy." Dipper's throat closed, and he felt Mabel hug his arm tighter. So the rumor had caught up with him. The only reason he let people believe the rumor was because it added a bit of mystery to his performance. He never would have thought it would lead to something like this "You brought us here.. because you want me to do alchemy for you?"

Gideon crossed one leg over the other, foot tapping a little "Well yes, and while you do alchemy for me, I'll take care of your beautiful sister and she will want for nothing." His eyes slid over to Mabel, as he tried to meet her eyes but she was staring at Dipper.

"But Dipper you.." Mabel started, frowning, but Dipper cut her off before she said something that would get them into more trouble.

"What if I don't want to?"

The happy, carefree look on Gideon left in a split second "Then I'll force you." Before Dipper could interject, Gideon leaned forward and gazed down at them. The way he sat above them only made him all the more intimidating "I am king. If I say day is night then it is so. If I say you will be locked down in a coal shaft until you change all that coal into gold, you will. If I say you stole from me and are to be executed, then I'm afraid the only decision left to make is whether you will be hanged, decapitated, or dragged behind a galloping horse until you're arm falls off." Each punctuated word was like a job into the male twin's stomach.

A chill ran down Dipper's spine and he felt Mabel give a soft horrified gasp beside him. There wasn't anything he could do, he had to protect her. He had to find a way because she was the only blood family he had left, and that look in Gideon's eye when the young tyrant looked at her… suggested that while Dipper was decapitated, Mabel would be experiencing something far worse than death. Dipper took a small step forward deliberately in front of Mabel, blocking her partially from Gideon's view "Alright, I'll do it.. but you have to promise you won't hurt us."

Gideon gave a frown, as if that was the most horrible idea in the world "Of course not! As long as you're working for me you'll be honored guests in my home." He looked up, behind the twins "Ah! Rosemary, take Miss Pines to her room please."

Mabel clung to the back of Dipper's long sleeve baggy faded red shirt, effectively untucking it from his pants. "You'll be ok.." He whispered to her, because he knew she would be forced to go. The brother turned and brushed her hair from her eyes, their faces close together as he calmly smiled, hiding his anxiety "Just be smarter than usual." He teased.

Eyes narrowed, Mabel shook her head "Don't die, ok Dipstick? Or I'll be forced to bring you back and kill you." She punched his shoulder, just as the older maid came and started to usher her away. Her hands clung to his until she was too far away to hold on anymore.

"Let's go get you cleaned up, and in proper clothes? How does that sound Miss?" The maid asked, rubbing Mabel's back as they walked away. The young girl held Dipper's eyes until the door shut behind her, and the brunet felt his throat close with it.

The silence that followed Mabel leaving the throne room was the loudest Dipper had ever experienced. He circled back to glare back up at the king, wiping a bit of the sweat off his palms as he did so.

"You'll see her again. If you do what you're told." Gideon's voice sliced through the silence like a razor. For the moment, Dipper chose to believe the tyrant because he didn't really have any other option. Any other thought was painfully unthinkable.

The coal shaft was so dark and utterly freezing that Dipper immediately craved sunlight. It was like every memory of ever being in the sun was gone from his body, and the 17 year old was left with nothing but the suffocating darkness. He intently listened to the elevator that had dropped him here lift back up and his grip on the flickering lantern tightened.

After just a few moments he couldn't hear any other noises except the occasional drip of water and his own shaky breathing. Was he always so loud? Oh gods what was he going to do? Dipper sat the lantern down on the damp rock pile to his left and laid out the couple of plush blankets he had been given. He had two days to do this. But how the fuck was he supposed to?

Gideon had provided him a few things to take with him into the mineshaft; a box of matches, heavy copper lantern, a few warm blankets, and a basket of rations. Dipper picked up a match and rested it in between his palms. Then he lifted up his hands and cupped them. His lips brushed the heel of his palm as he whispered a few words. A ball of fire formed from the match… the fire flickered and he directed it up, releasing it to hover in the air. It gently illuminated his home for the next couple days. Its light was brighter than the lamp and moved around the area like a large firefly.

The mine was several hundreds of feet underground… damp, and filled with dank air pumped in from above. Quickly, the young enchanter used the fire from his ball to light the torches hanging from the walls of the small mineshaft. It flew down the line of torches, igniting each one easily before disappearing all together, a bit of ash dropping to the ground.

Despite what he anticipated, the mine was actually quite small; the walls of the hall where they mined the coal were just big enough for three people to walk shoulder to shoulder down. It was only a couple yards deep. Then where he had been deposited was a small round room, obviously where everyone crowded to get the hell out of this depressing place, or to eat lunch. There were deposits of large rocks against the walls, probably meant to be makeshift chairs or benches. Behind him was a shaft down where the elevator passed through, just an open hole. Once he saw there was nothing keeping him from falling down into the elevator shaft, he moved himself and his things closer to the narrow hall.

After he was settled again, Dipper rested his forehead to his knees and took a shaky breath… "Think… Think. You fucking idiot think!" His sister's very virginity depended on him somehow turning all that dark stuff in the walls into gold. The light from the torches glinted at him, casting shadows across the earth, as if they were laughing at him. He ran his feet across the ground, disturbing the dirt just beyond the reach of his blanket.

"What am I going to do…?" The brunet muttered, tears stinging his brown eyes. He couldn't change coal to gold. He didn't have that power. No one did. Alchemy to that extent was impossible. If he just made it look like gold for a short period of time… maybe they could escape before Gideon noticed?

"No… he's too smart for that..." Dipper replied to himself, not having anyone else to talk to. "And he'll just drag us back once he finds out…"

Gods what was Wendy going to do when they never came back? Robbie? Grunkle Lee and Ford? Mabel would never finish that dress she had been raving about. Dipper would never get to give Wendy that ring he had made with his own two hands. It was still hidden in a little box at the bottom of his chest of clothes. They would never be able to get married like they had always talked about…

"You're having quite a rough day aren't ya kid?" A voice broke out through the dim light, and Dipper lurched, letting out a small gasp as his head jerked up from its position pressed to his knees.

"H-How did you? Where did you?" Dipper couldn't seem to form words. Had the stranger come down here before him? No… the brunet hadn't seen him when he lit the torches. There wasn't anywhere to really hide.

"Does it really matter?" The voice got closer as the twin clenched his fists in his pants. Then he smelt it, the smoky residue of a teleportation spell, just a slight taste in the air, but it was enough. The man speaking to him was an enchanter. The young brunet's eyes narrowed as the stranger finally stepped out of the shadows. His head was covered by a dark black hood from a cloak that stopped at his waist, and Dipper couldn't make out his face through the shadows. "I mean, you're not really in a situation to question me."

"No, I guess I'm not." A small crack echoed in the brunet's voice as he stood up, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. He stepped off his blanket and shivered at the cold of the ground underneath his bare feet. Something between a stone and a barbell weighed down his stomach as he studied the ominous man carefully.

"Now...On to business. I'm here to offer you a deal." With a bit of a flourish the stranger flicked off his hood, revealing a mop of golden blonde hair and a wide smirk that made Dipper feel like he was staring into the face of a hungry shark.


	2. The Deal

Brown eyes narrowed skeptically, Dipper crossed his arms over his chest a bit defensively "A deal? What kind of deal?" This all seemed a little too suspicious for the young Pines man's taste. The air felt a little colder than before, and he rubbed his arms as he kept a safe distance between himself and the man who could do a teleportation spell powerfully enough to land himself in the middle of a mineshaft…. That wasn't easy magick. If it went wrong a person could end up crushed in the rock itself, or falling down a cavern somewhere.

"A deal that will save your life, and your sister's precious flower." A cackle followed that statement, and Dipper only bristled more. How could this enchanter possibly know anything about that? The blonde didn't appear to be anything special, but his aura radiated energy, practically overwhelming energy. He had soft tan skin that illuminated gold in the torchlight, and equally golden eyes. One eye seemed a little different than the other, his right one, but at this distance Dipper couldn't tell why. He was taller than Dipper, by at least a head, and his blonde hair was unruly with a dark undercut. In fact, he somehow managed to seem unruly and wild despite the clean cut gold waistcoat with black trimming, white undershirt, gold buttons, and black slacks. It seemed he wanted to be taken as a high society man, but barely pulled it off.

"Well how do you intend to do that?" The brunet spat back. Something about this guy pledging to do the impossible just grated at his nerves. The young gypsy didn't have time for false promises. He needed to focus, and this guy was just an annoying distraction.

The stranger twirled a black and golden cane in his hands as he shouldered out of his cloak. It was also trimmed in gold on the inside. Dipper could guess this guy's esthetic quite easily. "Mnn.. Unlike you, I intend for this to be quite easy." His smirk grew as he eyed Dipper, shadows cast across his face from the torchlight "I will change _all_ of his coal into gold. For a price."

Dipper scoffed and squeezed his hands into fists, his entire body was ridged "That's impossible. No enchanter can do that. Alchemy like that isn't possible." Changing one metal or object into another was impossible. Now making a block of iron into an iron stool was possible. Little acts of magick that were similar to alchemy was possible. But changing coal into gold was utterly impossible. And honestly he thought it should stay that way. If someone could make gold whenever they wanted, the economy would go to shit.

The golden tip of the cane poked just the tip of Dipper's nose, making his eyes flash in annoyance. Quickly he batted it away. A small growl caught in his throat as Bill jabbed the cane in his direction again, as if to make his point "You mean it's impossible for you. Not for me kid."

"Alright, then what do you want in return. I don't have any money."

A loud, high laugh filled the room "If I wanted money.. I would just make gold for myself. You're idiocy is hilarious!~" With a small sigh, the blonde wiped at his eyes with a gloved hand and shook his head "I want something far more precious than money…" He paused for apparent dramatic effect as he leaned on his cane "I want your magick."

"No way!" Dipper spat, feeling his blood run cold. He quickly walked away, pacing a bit as he shook his head again. His magick was what made him… him. Without it he would lose the only thing that he felt made him well… special.

The blonde shrugged, starting to circle Dipper where he stopped pacing. As if examining him. He held the cane behind his back, twisting it in his palms. The older enchanter walked, tilted a bit forward with his head cocked to the side, hair sweeping around his cheeks "It doesn't really seem you have anything else you can offer me. You're weak, wouldn't make a good slave. Your eyes, skin, mouth, are all average. I'm sure you have an average…" His mismatched eyes dipped lower for a moment and he tsked, making Dipper flush bright red. "I guess you really don't want to save your sister's chastity." He made a little 'hm' noise, as if dismissing it and let Dipper out of his stare, the brunet finally felt like he could breathe again.

"Who.. are you?" Dipper asked, glaring at the blonde's back. His chest rose and fell quickly, heart pattering as he tried to shake himself the hot feeling of the stranger's gaze. It was unsettling. The man's observances pissed him off, but there was a point in them. Dipper wanted to protect his sister. No matter what.

With a small tip of his head, and a wide smirk on his full lips, the stranger chuckled "Bill Cipher's my name, deals are my game. So do we got one or not?" He leaned on one foot, hand on the cane as his other rested on his jutted hip. If this man wasn't so unsettling, he would be gorgeous. Even Dipper could tell that, despite considering himself straight.

There wasn't any other plausible way out of this. And Dipper didn't want to die… He didn't want to live with the guilt of his sister being hurt. He had to protect his twin.. "Deal.." He finally responded after a long pause, meeting Bill's eyes with a small, challenging glare. The brunet's hands were trembling, so he laced his fingers together and clenched them softly.

"Excellent." Bill appeared in front of him, hovering close now. He took his right hand and very slowly loosened one of the thin black gloves he wore. Finger by finger the enchanter tugged it off before finally removing it completely. Underneath the cuff of his white shirt, Dipper could make out some black tattoo around his wrist that the long glove had been covering up. Before he could tell what the tattoo was in the dim light, Bill move his arm in just the right direction to hide it again.

A small glowing blue fire flickered across his tan palm, startling Dipper out of his thoughts. "Let's shake on it." For a moment Dipper hesitated. The fire illuminated Bill's face, making his smile look more sinister. His eyes appeared darker, and Dipper finally could see why Cipher's right eye was strange.. Instead of a pupil, he had a small triangle symbol, like a flat pyramid… which radiated a burning yellow, brighter than the already odd gold of his eyes. It was an Intensify symbol, which amplified magick. They were illegal, and most people hid them in less conspicuous places. But the more conspicuous, the more powerful.

Finally, after a quick breath, Dipper shook Bill's tan hand. The fire traveled up his arm just to his elbow, warm and with a prickle sensation, like his skin was crawling. His red long sleeve fluttered a bit, making his breath catch. Then it disappeared, and nothing else happened. "Is that… it? Do you have my magick?" He asked, feeling as though that had been a bit anticlimactic. Everything he had heard about magick removal (it was common for dark enchanters to steal magick, or for enchanters to bet their magick or sell it) was painful.

"No." The blonde said, tugging his glove quickly back on and stepping away. If Dipper didn't know any better, he would think Bill did that a little too hastily. As if he were uncomfortable without his gloves. "I just like to fulfill my end of the deal first." Now Cipher was in business mode "This will take a bit."

Upon hearing that statement, Dipper took a few steps back and sank down in his blankets to wait. He didn't have anything better to do, so he simply watched. His head tilted to the side as he rested his chin on his palm. Every few minutes his fingers would tap a bit on his jaw, teeth chewing thoughtfully on his bottom lip.

First Bill walked to the far wall to their left and ran his fingers across the surface. He followed the length of the corridor, down the hall and back up, never taking his hand from the cool rock exterior. His boots clipped along, and the torchlight flickered as he disturbed the air. Then the blonde paused, just outside of the hall. Dipper stared at his broad back, barely able to blink.

Bill took a soft breath and flicked open the top buttons of his undershirt, giving his neck more room. Then he unbuttoned his gold vest, letting it slip it to the ground with a flutter, revealing his white dress shirt. Finally he rolled his shoulders, staring up at the ceiling for a moment. His eyes slid closed and he started first whispering a few words, but then his voice picked up in tempo, and volume.

When an enchanter recites spells it isn't like just hearing their normal voice say words in a language that has been around since the dawn of time. The way those words are said are unique to the enchanter. Bill's voice before had been obnoxious, with a rough, almost pitchy tone. Now his voice was as smooth and deep as golden silk. It was calming, and enveloped Dipper when it reached him. It echoed off the walls of the cavern, and the brunet wondered how that voice was coming from the same man who taunted him.

As Cipher's voice picked up, the same blue flames from before licked his palms and crawled up his arms, but didn't burn his clothes. Then his eyes began to glow yellow. A wind from nowhere caused his shirt to flutter, hair flying back from his face. Dipper watched in awe as the blonde's body almost started to illuminate from the inside out. The power from Bill seemed to slam into the brunet in waves, leaving his ears ringing and skin a little hot. He curled in on himself a bit but didn't look away, didn't cover his ears.. he wanted to experience everything.

Before long, little orbs of blue light sparked up from the fire in the enchanter's hands. They flew down the hall and hit the walls at different locations. When they touched the rough surface a small ripple of light caused the wall to seem to wrinkle like a rock hitting a still pond. The small flame disappeared and the black of the coal faded into a reflective gold… the gold glowed for a moment before fading back to normal.

More and more orbs of light lit up the entire hall and room, Bill continued to chant until his voice faded out and everything abruptly stopped. The sapphire flames disappeared, and even the torch lights flickered out. For a long second Dipper sat in the dark. His breath even halted in a bit of fear. Sweat trickled down his back as he bit his tongue. Then the lights of the torches and his lamp all lit up at once with a dry huff. The blonde was stooping down, picking up his golden vest before dusting it off with his long fingers.

He turned and smirked over at Dipper. It wasn't quite as ferocious as before, still just as smug, but a bit strained. To the brunet it was obvious that the enchanter was tired, probably took a lot of energy to do what everyone in Athezia thought was impossible. "Alright. You're now a rich man, time to pay up."

Dipper fidgeted a bit, still sitting one the soft blankets. His skin was flushed and he wanted to stand but he felt glued to the blankets "How does this work?" He asked softly, glancing up at Bill a little nervously. The torchlight made the gypsy's hair almost dark red, and gave his skin a soft porcelain glow. A bit of sweat made his rusty shirt cling to his skin, outlining his toned body, and his lower lip bled slowly from his nervous tick.

With a small disapproving click of his tongue, Bill knelt down in front of Dipper, hovering close "It'll be best if you just close your eyes and relax. You're going to want to fight, but the more you fight the more it hurts." Bill's nose nearly brushed the brunet's, uncomfortably close. He still hadn't buttoned his waistcoat or undershirt. There was a small nice view of his strong tan chest.

With a small lick of his dry lips, Dipper vainly tried to swallow the nausea building up. That was right.. when someone's magick was taken they could fight and try to overpower the thief. It was a fight of wills. But Dipper had a feeling his magick was too weak compared to Bill's, and he had to hold up his end of the bargain. "O-Ok.. just get it over with." The brunet's voice cracked as he did as he was told, closing his eyes and trying to relax even a fraction of a bit.

A warm hand pressed to his chest through his shirt. Then another clamped down like a vice on his shoulder. The first hand steadily became hotter and hotter while more verses rang in his ears. Sweat built up on his shaggy hairline. He started to tremble when the heat felt like it was burning his flesh. It quickly became clear that he couldn't bear to keep his eyes closed anymore.

Dipper let out a small, high pitched cry when he opened his eyes. Bill's forehead was brushing his chin, and the man's golden eyes were on his chest. Blue fire was encompassing the blonde's hand, which was practically disappearing into Dipper's skin. The pale boy's hands fluttered towards the fiery hand. Then away. Finally he settled on gripping the white shirt on Bill's forearms. He had to cling to something or he thought he might black out.

"O-Oh my god-" Bill was reaching _inside_ him. He was touching places that the brunet didn't think could be safely felt.

"Shut up." Bill ordered, his face serious and focused, then he smirked.. And Dipper felt a ghost pang trace up his spine. His heartbeat accelerated when he suddenly felt like something precious, and delicate had been contaminated.  
It wasn't like a physical touch.  
It was deeper, more violating.  
That was exactly it. The deepest part of him had just been violated by this blonde.

The hand wrist deep in his chest began to pull out. There was a sharp ripping noise, then numerous popping like electricity cracking. Dipper felt like a hole had been ripped inside of him. His energy was draining out of him… then he was left hollow.

Whenever the hand was removed, Dipper fell back onto his side. He barely felt his body hit the ground. A hand fluttered numbly to his chest and he felt for some pit. For some disturbance or mark but his skin under his shirt was smooth… nothing had been damaged. Vaguely he noticed there was another soft blue violet glow in the room that hadn't been there before. It illuminated the side of his face, and showed the dark rings around his eyes and scabbed blood on his bottom lip.

"Don't worry kid. You'll feel a little weak and nauseous for a few hours. Then you'll be fine." Bill said, gazing down at the little sculpture in his hands "Hn. A pine tree. How common."

"A.. Pine tree?" Dipper had heard about freed magick. It took a shape distinctive to the original owner. No one's magick looked the same. The colors were different, the objects were unique. So his was a pine tree, he got a glimpse of it right before Bill turned away, going to pick up the cloak discarded on the floor. The pine tree glowed a blue violet, and was made of something brighter, and clearer than a diamond or glass. The trunk delicately twisted up the center, roots breaking out of the bottom, and the needles were perfectly detailed coming from the center of the trunk.

"Yes.. well Pinetree. It's been fun, but I'll see you around." Bill stated quickly, fastening his black cloak and pocketing the sculpture into one of the pockets. He gave Dipper a mock salute, staring down at the trembling gypsy sprawled limp on the blankets. "Sleep well.." He winked before his body faded into a barren shadow, then disintegrating into a wisp of smoke.

Without being able to tell how much time had passed, or was passing, Dipper laid in the dim light until the torches went out. Then he relit his lamp with a match like an average person and continued to simply lay there. He had a gnawing feeling in his chest. It didn't disappear.

And when he did sleep he had nightmares.  
About Gideon's smug laughter.  
About being ripped apart by running horses.  
About Mabel being cut up, fucked, then cut up again.  
About someone in a cloak ripping out his organs and crushing it them front of him.  
At first he thought that person was Gideon, but when the hood fell back as the figure laughed, the man had golden hair and a shark like smile.


	3. Dance With Me

A week passed and it became quite clear Gideon had no intention of letting them leave. The twins were his new pets, his new star attractions, and, for questioning advisors, his 'orphaned cousins'. That lie was spawned for the political stiffs. Dipper and Mabel were far off family that he was kind enough to care for. Of course he didn't tell anyone that the new supply of gold in the royal treasury came from one of his orphaned 'cousins'.

Whenever Mabel inevitably asked Dipper how he turned coal into gold.. Dipper said that it was a onetime accident that would probably never happen again. The male twin didn't know how to tell his sister that he had given up his magick. She worried too much about him as it was, and he was a bit ashamed that it had really been for nothing. Despite the sacrifice he made, they were still stuck there.

The twins had joined rooms, just a door separating them from one another's suits. Each bed was enchanted to conform to the sleeper's needs. Every room had magickal paintings and tapestries on the walls.  
Scenes of forests with actual moving animals, or seas with crashing water.  
Ceilings with painted stars that actually glowed and moved to reflect the real constellations outside.  
If this wasn't good enough, they could tell the head housekeeper of the west wing whenever they wanted a new enchanted painting or tapestry. Even the bathrooms were magickal. Soaps that made your skin glitter, Mabel loved that. Water that made you smell like whatever you wanted until your next bath.

Mabel's favorite place was the gardens, though. They were huge. A labyrinth took up a lot of it. Real, tame animals roamed around the maze, along with most of the other garden. Animal shaped shrub statues decorated the area. Sometimes they would get the urge to change location, and so they would. Occasionally you would see a lion bush trot past you and take form near the fountain where it can get better sunlight, then freeze again. Every fountain's fixtures moved as well. Mermaids brushed their cement hair with coral combs and smiled, playing in the water.

Of course Dipper's favorite location was the library. It was the biggest library in all of Athezia with books rumored to be older than the land itself. There was a bottom floor and three wrapping floors that you could see twist above your head if you stood in the center, it took the male twin's breath away. Everything was well cared for and all the books appeared brand new. Sometimes Dipper would sit on the plush couches located in the extensive reader's section and read for hours on end. The library was open to a certain number of the public, scholars and students and people who have passed the background check. There was a forbidden section in the basement that the brunet heard held a list of dangerous, dark spells, and information that the royals didn't want anyone to know. However, with all of the other books Dipper didn't know why anyone would really care about the creepy basement.

Overall the palace was an amazing place to live. The Pines twins were never bored, never hungry, and had never been more finely dressed. However, they had also never craved freedom more.

"The party's tonight!" Gideon cheered, taking a sip of his red wine. It was lunch time, and the party was intended to begin at 6 that night. "You two should be very thrilled, considering it's in your honor." He spoke as if he were an amazingly gracious host for throwing the twins a party they didn't really even want. Bright blue eyes gazed at them from over the wine glass as he sat it back down, waiting for the response.

Mabel gave a small smile, swallowing a bite of a warm apple tart "I'm really excited. I've always heard that your parties were the best." Despite being held prisoner, Mabel was continuing to be her most optimistic self. To anyone else she seemed to be adjusting to the palace life smoothly. However Dipper knew the difference. He knew how much she missed their family, especially a particular onyx haired guitar player. The female brunet seemed to worry more about her twin than herself, though. She promised to try and find a way out of there for them, and to get Dipper back to his girlfriend or as she put it 'love bird'.

Mabel lifted up her glass for the waiter to pour her some more orange juice, her silver bracelet glinted in the warm natural light. Today she wore her hair in a braid over her shoulder, laced in jewels and flowers with matching earrings, and a violet cashmere sweater and black skirt. Her skin glowed from the palace care, and she already appeared healthier, not that they were starved before by any means. But food was a little scarce sometimes, and even a week of constant filling meals had a difference. "Will there really be a circus act?"

Gideon wrinkled his nose in a wider smile, showing most of his perfect teeth "Well of course my lil darling. You wanted a circus, I got the best circus in the kingdom. Fire dancers, elephants, trained griffins, they even have a real unicorn." Mabel's eyes lit up with each word, a real excited laugh escaped her.

"Hear that brobro? A real unicorn!" She turned quickly, braid flying in the speed of her movement, and her doe eyes met her twins as the girl practically bounced in her seat. Magickal creatures did exist, but they were rare. A unicorn would be an interesting sight, Dipper had to agree with that.

Dipper nodded with a small smile, just a little upturn of his lips at his sister being so excited. He was exhausted, both of them were. His skin was even paler than normal with dark circles under his eyes, and Mabel wasn't looking much better. However, she wore makeup to cover up most of her bags. Gideon had suggested it when they started to become apparent, he was always saying passive aggressive things. Chasing sleep had become the main portion of the nights. Nightmares kept them seeking each other out, they rarely slept alone anymore. "I can't wait. Thank you Gideon."

 _Thank you for making our cage entertaining._ He added silently. Spoon clinking as he took a bite of beef soup, Dipper hummed a little in his throat. It was delicious.

Sometimes it got really annoying to have nothing to complain about. Dipper adjusted his navy blue tie as he sat down at a round table covered in a pale blue sheet. There was a soft warm breeze outside that ruffled his hair. Dinner was served outside in the large garden. As much as he wanted to complain about something, he was perfectly fine. His black suit didn't itch, it was made out of the best fabric and looked pretty great on him, probably enchanted. As Mabel said, he looked 'Dipperlicious'. The food had been amazing, now he was sipping from an elegant glass of endless carbonated pitt cola that never went flat. Everything was fucking perfect.

The closest doors to the palace were wide open and led to the ballroom where a live band was playing a mixture of classical music, bouncy pop music, and really any requests you could have. Their music had magick to it, the notes and verses making brilliant lightshows on the wall behind them. Outside the circus was entertaining the guests, who mingled from dancing in the ballroom to strolling to enjoy the animals, circus enchanters/ performers… There was laughter everywhere, and Dipper didn't recognize anyone.

His seat on the patio led a long set of stairs down to the garden at his right and to his left were the tall, wide open gate like doors. The sun had already disappeared, leaving only the natural light of the moon and stars. Strings of hovering magickal orbs in different shades of gold, red, and orange floated just out of reach all along the garden to illuminate everything. Every table had a different glowing fairy statue, and all the flowers in the garden had been coaxed into full bloom. It was impossible to miss the heady

The music and laughter of the ballroom filtered out to him, and he had the perfect view of the dancefloor. Everyone was dressed up for this event. The theme was 'Fantasy Rainbows', deemed by Mabel. The king had given her a bit of control over the event. Most of the dresses were bright mixtures of colors, some ball gowns, some elegant evening gowns, and even a few short cocktail dresses. But all color. Tuxes even were in wild colors tonight, Dipper swore he saw a striped pink and red one earlier.

But Mabel shined above them all.

Dipper stood up and moved over to the wall just inside the ballroom so that he could have a better view of his twin. After checking out the circus with Dipper, Mabel had been spending the past hour or so dancing. Everything seemed to be going well, until now. The king had been busy greeting guests for quite a bit of time after dinner, but now that he was free.. he was moving in. The male twin watched as Gideon caught Mabel's waist, making her ball gown flutter around her as she came to a stop mid-twirl. The man she had been dancing with instantly disappeared into the crowd. Dipper couldn't hear what was being said from his position against the far wall, but he could guess.

Mabel tucked a curled strand of her hair behind her ear. Her hair had been curled in ringlets with strands of bright pinks, blues, greens, and violets through her brown locks. Then she had a small violet and silver tiara on the top of her head. The dress she wore was strapless, and tight at the top, a soft sparkling fabric and a darker violet ribbon separated the top from the endless gradient rainbow tulle that billowed out at the bottom of the dress. She literally seemed to glow, and Gideon couldn't keep his eyes off of her. The king bowed, and Mabel curtsied, then they were dancing..

Every muscle in Dipper's body tensed up tighter and tighter. His sister was forcing her best smile, but it didn't fool her twin. She was uncomfortable. Gideon's hand was too low, he was holding her too tight, and song after song… he didn't let her go. Dipper tried not to feel pissed, but he was livid. Wasn't it enough for Gideon to force them to stay here, to have that mineshaft of gold? Dipper watched Mabel's painted pink lips part as she spoke with their king, and her matching rainbow decorated eyes look anywhere but up at Gideon's smug smile.

Just as Dipper was thinking about cutting in, his heart froze. A tall blonde man in a black tux with a familiar gold waistcoat, and white dress shirt approached Mabel. With flourish he extended his hand for her, doing a bit of a bow. Dipper couldn't see Gideon's face, but by the tense set of his broad shoulders, the Pines man could only guess he wasn't happy. However, with one dark smile and gaze from the blonde, his majesty backed off.

It seemed like Mabel didn't even notice the exchange between Gideon and the well-dressed stranger. The female twin graciously took the black gloved hand, and Dipper felt his heart quicken. What was Bill doing here? The brunet hadn't seen the enchanter anywhere but his nightmares since the deal. It was ridiculous how often the teen had nightmares about Cipher. Every. Single. Night.

The music lifted up into a waltz, and all Dipper could do was watch as Mabel laughed, a real laugh, and the pair twirled together. It made the adolescent sick. She had no idea who that was, or how dangerous he was. Of course Bill hadn't exactly given Dipper an entirely valid reason to feel that way… but something inside of him screamed that the blonde couldn't be trusted.

Every time his view of the pair was lost because another couple got in the way, Dipper would move around along the edge of the fray, trying to keep a visual on them at all times. As the song finally wound down, the brunet watched Bill lead Mabel off the dancefloor. They weaved over to a punch bowl, and got her a drink. Quickly, the teen rushed over, slipping through people and trying to keep his brown eyes locked on the two.

"There you are! Bill, this is my brother Dipper! Dipstick this is Bill Cipher, my knight in shining armor." The rainbow girl introduced, a wide smile making her dimples show "I thought Gideon would never let me go! But then Bill slipped in and saved the day!" She fanned herself, face flushed a little, taking a drink of the punch "I'm so tired.." Sweat lined her forehead, which was no surprise the ballroom was a bit humid, but she still looked lovely.

"It's great to meet you kid." Bill responded, picking up a breath mint off the table and tossing it into his mouth. "You're sister's quite a dancer." He leaned against one foot, one arm on his hip and the other running through his hair. It didn't look like he had even broken a sweat.

A laugh escaped Mabel's lips between her sips of punch "I think it was my dance partner that really made me any good." She praised before sitting down her empty glass and fluffing her sweaty hair back up "I think I'm going to take a jig break and go see those coolio acrobats I heard about. Coming Dipstick?" With a few pats she smoothed out her dress and took a few steps from the table, only pausing when Dipper didn't make a move to follow.

With narrowed eyes on Bill, Dipper crossed his arms "I'll meet you out there ok?" He offered, brown eyes flickering between the two. The blonde was smirking like an idiot, seeming to find Dipper's expressions completely hilarious. Fingers clenched, Dipper tightened his jaw as he tried to not to show how irritated just being in Bill's presence made him. Mabel wouldn't understand, and he didn't want to alert her of anything.

"Alright… if you say so brobro." Mabel tilted her head to the side as she studied the two for a minute longer before simply shrugging off the situation and disappearing into the crowd.

After Dipper was certain his twin was gone, he opened his mouth to say something.. but then paused, pressed his lips together and then tried again "What are you doing here?" The brunet finally managed. It was like his heart was blocking his throat, whether from anxiety or anger or some other emotions he wasn't entirely sure.

"Well I was enjoying a lovely party." Bill responded flippantly, seeming pretty nonchalant. He leaned against the table, fingering the cup Mabel left, brushing his fingers across the brim, but not getting anything to drink.

"So you're a friend of Gideon?" Dipper asked, trying to stare Bill down, gauge his reactions.. but the blonde was like a brick wall. From his laid back posture to his blank face, Dipper couldn't get a read. It was even harder considering anytime the blonde's eyes slid to him, the gypsy boy's pulse would quicken and his brain would get cloudy.

"Who in this world are actually friends with his Royal Tiny Prick?" A white toothy grin followed that statement, as if Cipher were quite proud of his cleverness.

The brunet rubbed his face and sighed "Then what are you doing here?"

"Like I said, enjoying the party."

"I find that very hard to believe." This conversation was already wearing down on the brunet and he tried to take a calming breath "Gideon has never mentioned you, and he wouldn't shut up about who would all be at this party. Your name wasn't on that list." Of course Gideon hadn't exactly thrown Bill out when he blatantly stole Mabel away. So there was something wrong with that picture.

"Me and Snowflake go way back. He doesn't have to have my name on the priss list. If I want to be here he won't stop me." Cipher shrugged, a small smirk on his lips. It was obvious to the brunet that the older enchanter was toying with him.

"Well what would someone like you want with a party like this?" Dipper ground out, stepping beside Bill to fill himself a glass of punch. He needed to do something with his hands.

A mock pout crossed Bill's features "You don't know me. I could very well love parties. I kill the dance floor after all." He wasn't wrong, the blonde enchanter was an impressive dancer. Giving a suggestive wink, Bill twirled his fingers and his cane materialized in his hands. Cipher didn't even bat an eye at the use of power. It made Dipper wonder how much power the blonde really had. "But you are right. I didn't come here to socialize with all these meat bags. I'm here for the delectable misery." He tapped his cane to the ground, leaning against with one hand on his hip.

Dipper looked around him with a raised eyebrow. Everyone was laughing, having a good time as far as he could tell. People were flirting, dancing, eating. This place wasn't exactly a hotspot of misery. "I don't get it." But despite saying that, the knowing, dark expression in Bill's eyes made the brown hairs on the back of Dipper's neck stand up.

"I'll tell you a secret." Bill began, leaning forward and smirking, his breath brushed Dipper's face, the taste of mint crossed the Pines man's tongue "This castle is a place of misery. Don't let these people fool you. This palace has always been full of suffering. However.." He chuckled a little "It's been quite a bit more delicious since you and your sister arrived."

The gypsy was only able to breathe again once the blond pulled further away and picked up another mint. Bill's long tan fingers pulled the mint close to his face while he studied it with the upmost seriousness. After a bit of time, he must have decided it was worthy and popped it into his mouth. "What do you mean you feed on misery?" Dipper finally asked, getting more annoyed and curious by the moment.

Bill's tongue poked the side of his cheek while he adjusted the peppermint "You don't need to know that." He stepped forward and took the flustered man's hand "Why don't we dance instead of chat? Dancing is far more productive." Dipper had to set down his punch glass on the table behind the blonde to keep from spilling it.

"No way in hell." Dipper growled, yanking his hand away and bristling again "You took my _magick._ The least you could do is give me some answers Cipher. Why are you here? Why are you bothering me and my sister? And what do you mean 'feed on misery'?" His caramel eyes narrowed and flashed as he glared at the taller male. Maybe it wasn't a smart idea to get testy with this stranger. This obviously powerful stranger, but that smug look on his face, the way he seemed to be _gloating,_ it all just made Dipper's temper heat up more and more.

It only took a moment for Bill to snatch Dipper's hand again, wrap an arm around his waist, and tug him threateningly close. The handle of the cane painfully dug into his back, making him arch into Bill more. The brunet stumbled a bit and his heart skipped as he felt his body press to Bill's through their clothes. This was too close, way too close for his taste. He could smell the mint on the blonde's breath "Listen to me Pinetree. I've completed my end of our deal, so I owe you absolutely nothing." The gloved hand around Dipper's tightened almost painfully. A dark look was on Bill's face and the edges of his eyes faded to red, lips curled into an almost snarl.

Then his expression smoothed again, and the blonde blinked the red away "But I like you, and I find your frustration amusing." He tilted his head to the side, studying Dipper for a moment "So I'll share a bit about myself. I do not care about you or your sister. I only care about my deals, my mistress, and feeding." The threatening enchanter leaned down and his lips brushed Dipper's ear, sending a shock through the Pines spine "You are nothing more than a means to get what I want. I do not care if you live, or die." He punctuated his words calmly, but harshly.

"Y-You're feeding.. off of me and Mabel?" Dipper managed to stammer. He wanted to push Bill off, to get away from him. But for a moment the gypsy felt like a prey caught in the eyes of a predator. Unable to run, or hide, or even blink. That was the first question that came to mind, though he wondered who 'mistress' was as well. Everything Bill said just brought up more questions, and that was probably why the enchanter was doing this. The more questions Dipper had, the more frustrated he got, and the more amusement Cipher received.

"Yes." A smirk curved on the blonde's lips "I feed on your nightmares, and I feed on your misery.."

A flash of all the nightmares Dipper had had over the past week fluttered through his brain. It all made sense now, but how could someone feed on nightmares? How could someone _cause_ nightmares? Is there really a magick like that? It was impossible wasn't it? "You're going to kill us?" That was the ultimate misery wasn't it? Death?

With a light chuckle, Bill shook his head and pulled back, still holding Dipper by the small of his waist. "No.. Not unless you make me." His eyes got colder, and a chill ran down Dipper's spine, but then that easy smirk came back "If I killed you, I wouldn't be able to feed anymore." So there was something worse than death. Bill's gaze flickered up behind them, and he flicked his bangs from his eyes "Now Gideon, he will kill you. If you're not careful. He's done it before."

Before Dipper could ask any more questions, Bill released him and stepped back, poking the brunet in the nose with his cane. Just like in the mine. "I think I've told you enough Pinetree."

"But what-"

"Enough." Bill's eyes flashed red again, and the brunet fell quiet. The scarlet faded and the blonde smirked again "Now.. will you actually dance with me?" He offered out his hand, the cane disappearing in a burst of violet smoke. Dipper could still feel how soft that glove had been under his palm, and he rubbed it on his pants leg, trying to make it go away.

After a moment, Dipper shook his head "Not a chance." Dance with the person who was tormenting him and Mabel with nightmares? No fucking thank you. He turned and simply walked away, leaving Bill cackling by the table.


	4. Cursed

"Dipper you should come outside! Quinn had a baby! I've never seen such a cute little piglet!" Mabel squealed, jumping up and down a little on her toes. The king kept a small barnyard off to the left of the palace, run by a few people who lived in the village closest to the castle. It was where he got most of his fresh meat, and kept his horses. "Gideon said that I could keep it! So I named him Waddles." She smiled a little more, but frowned when her twin barely glanced up from the heavy book he was reading.

The past 4 days since the party Dipper had rarely left the library. He barely ate, and was trying his hardest to not sleep. "That's great Mabes.." The Pines man responded halfheartedly, flipping a page in the novel titled _'Theory of Enchanting Nightmares'._ It had become almost an obsession. He had to know what Bill Cipher was, what his motives were. What kind of person fed on nightmares? Was he even human? But so far he had only discovered half studied theories. No one was really clear or sure on the subject.

He wasn't just looking for that, though. Dipper had been trying to think of a way to escape, and the library was the best place for him to do that. It was mostly solitary, and it was one of the few locations where people not exactly related to Gideon came in and out on free will. The brunet watched them while studying, seeing if there was anyone he felt he could trust to send a message for him. Or if there was anyone willing to help them, but that took time. There were only a few heavy regulars that he could really watch, the majority came in rarely or only one time.

All of this would have been so much easier if he had his magick. Sure there were magickal barriers in the palace, but those would have been easy to overcome. He could have sent a message on his own. If anything he could have at least read faster with it. With his magick he used to be able to chew through a 300 page book in 30 minutes. Now he had to read at an average pace. It made him mourn his loss more than ever.

"Brobro come on…"

"Miss and Mr. Pines, your presence has been requested in the throne room." A butler interrupted from one of the side doors of the library that led into the palace. The sitting area with all of its tables and couches and chairs were near there. Equal frowns of concern crossed both of the twins' features, and Dipper marked his place in the book before standing up. Neither really reached for the other, they both met halfway in clasping hands as they started walking. It wasn't usually a good thing when Gideon requested them, especially if it was to the throne room. He was supposed to be in meetings all day, and it was only 2 in the afternoon.

A few sweet notes of the guitar filled the air as Dipper started a song he knew by heart. This was the twins' third attempt at entertaining the king with a dance. The throne room had a table set up at the foot of the throne stairs. That was where a group of 5 pompous looking men were seated. The king had been seated in his usual throne above them all, but now he was leaning against the edge of the table, closest to Mabel. They had been holding some sort of meeting, but Gideon thought a break was necessary. A break with a bit of entertainment provided by his majesty's talented cousins.

All the men were staring at her. Each of them held a different degree of hunger on their lips and lust shining in their eyes. No one really tried to hide it. Except Gideon. He kept his just checked, his face concealed in a slight smirk, eyes tracking the female twin step by step. Maybe that was why his lust was a bit scarier. It was lurking just in the shadows, ready to eventually consume the poor girl. Whether she wanted it or not.

Dipper was bright red with a barely hidden expression of fury in his eyes. His fingers smoothly flitted across the guitar. He had been taught by his somewhat friend Robbie from the caravan. So he was pretty good, but today he wasn't very proud of his ability. This was sick and wrong, Mabel didn't wear clothes like that… and she definitely didn't usually dance like that.

The young brunet was dancing barefoot along the edge of the carpet, near the towering columns on the right side of the room. She was wearing a new belly dancer outfit that Gideon had had Tad Strange, the palace tailor, sew for her. The red skirt had a jeweled belt around her hips with slits up the layers of fabric to reveal most of her thighs. It stopped at her ankles, and scooped down on either upper thigh, the belt being the only material there, and barely covered her butt or front. The top was barely anything. More like a glorified bra that was too small with gold sequins that jingled when she moved. Everything was made out of shimmering scarlet cloth. The color of lust.

This outfit was designed to accent Mabel's body, and give the king some sort of sick pleasure, Dipper was sure. A blush heated up the gypsy girl's face as she tried to dance again. The past two times Gideon had stopped her, wanting something 'less boring'. She kept time with her brother's faster tempo, twirling and running her hands through her wavy hair. Dipper watched as her eyes fell closed and she swayed her hips in a controlled rhythm. He wanted to make her stop. Every movement was highly sexual, from the way she ran her hands over her body to the way she twisted to dip down and slowly come back up. It made him sick, and he could tell from the way she kept her eyes closed and didn't look at her audience that she felt the same way.

But neither of them could do anything about it. After the song ended, Gideon made them do it again and again. By the fourth round, Dipper's eyes barely left their spot on the floor. He didn't want to really watch Mabel right now, and he had a feeling she didn't want him to see her like that anyway. However, about halfway through the song he felt like he was being scrutinized. His brown eyes lifted to scan the room.

As he did, he noticed the blonde seated up in the king's throne. A coy smirk played on his lips as he stared back at Dipper, surprisingly not watching Mabel like everyone else in the room. When had he gotten there? Cipher flashed a wider toothy grin as he winked at the brunet, doing a mock applause.

The guitar made a sharp, harsh note as he hit the wrong cord. At that sound, the Pines man jerked and heard Mabel stumble. Everyone was gaping at him now with wide eyes. "What has got you so distracted that you fouled up the lovely lady's dancing?" Gideon asked, voice coarser than the foul note of the guitar. The king followed Dipper's line of sight, standing up from the table and turning to face the throne. However, his face only registered annoyance. Bill even gave the king a tiny, finger wave. He sat sideways in the throne, propping his feet up on the edge of the armrest, but it was like the king didn't see anything. "You really shouldn't daydream. It's unbecoming, and annoys all sensible people." The younger man snapped, turning away.

A chuckle made Bill's shoulder's shake, and Dipper heard him loud and clear. He couldn't stop staring at the man. His head was reeling as he tried to piece together how the blonde was invisible. Invisibility was possible, but it took so much energy that most people could only hold it for 10minutes top. As the brunet continued to gawk, he watched the blonde put a finger to his lips, as if telling him to stay quiet. It made him bristle in annoyance, jaw clenching.

"Dipper… Dipper!" Mabel hissed, voice breaking through his daze. When he finally tore his eyes away and looked at her, she gestured for him to continue playing. Her face was worried, but insistent, cleavage practically pouring from her top as she leaned towards him.

Before he could though, one of the other men in the room said, clearing his throat, "My lord, we still have a lot to cover over the attacks from Delanu on our boarders. As much as I enjoy the show, I believe we should continue working." A flash of relief cooled the pit of Dipper's stomach.

Another look of irritation crossed Gideon's face, an expression only Dipper and Mabel caught because his back was to the men. However, he pushed it away quickly and walked over to the younger girl. Gently he took her hand, pulling her towards him and wrapping an arm around her waist. He tried to interlace their fingers, but Mabel resisted and held his hand to the side. This didn't seem to deter him, though. Instead he leaned down to hug her and whispered something in her ear that the twin brother couldn't hear. Rage filled Dipper's stomach as he watched Gideon's hand trace down her bare spine and brush his fingers beneath the belt of her skirt, along the top of her ass.. just barely.

Whenever Mabel jerked back at the contact, a horrific expression crossed Gideon's features and he gripped he let go of her hand only to clutch wrist tightly. At the ferocity that she tugged back, she almost tripped. But the yelp that escaped the girl's lips wasn't from nearly falling. His majesty practically yanked her back towards him. The tug sent her flying against his chest. A gaze of rage met Mabel's brown eyes as Gideon's fingers dug into her hip while his left hand still ground the bones of her wrist together between their chests.

Dipper quickly stood up, taking a couple angry steps towards the pair. He wasn't sure what he would have done if he reached them. But bashing the guitar he still held over the king's head came to mind.

However, at the fearful look on Mabel's face, Gideon released her with a charismatic smile "Oh my dear you should be more careful. It's easy to slip on these floors."

Mabel was trembling and cradling her wrist, unable to say anything. This time.. Gideon didn't make a move to heal her. None of the men at the table were looking at them. Their heads were bent to the paperwork in front of them, and a tension hung heavy in the air. Just the sound of shuffling papers and breathing broke the silence for a few long moments. Dipper reached Mabel and she practically clung to him. Her uninjured arm hugged around his waist, fingers fisting the cloth of his button up blue shirt. He wrapped an arm around her bare shoulders, glaring hard at Gideon… who simply smiled.

"I'll see you two at dinner." With that… they were dismissed.

With a loud gasp, Dipper sat up, his back giving a painful crack as he did so. A groan escaped his lips as he winced and wiped the drool off the corner of his lip. His caramel eyes flicked around him. He was sitting in the library at a table. It was dark, and he was alone. The only light came from a lamp he had turned on beside the book he had fallen asleep reading.

The brunet tried to push away the graphic images of the nightmare that had just woken him. It was all shattered into pictures, no real plot, but he still felt the pain of a knife carving away his flesh. Sounds of rain pattering on the windows of the library buzzed as background noise to his ears, comforting him a little. That is until a crack of lightning made him jump. A shadowy image of a tall man with glowing gold eyes appeared in the corner of his vision, in front of a wide window at his far left, but when he turned it was gone.

For a long moment he stared at that window, but when nothing else appeared, he relaxed just a fraction. This was ridiculous. A week had passed since the first time Dipper saw Bill and no one else could. A week since Mabel was first really assaulted by Gideon. Things had only gotten worse from there.

Apparently Gideon had suggested to Mabel that day, while holding her after she danced, that she should think about a permanent future in the palace. Of course there was only one real way that _that_ would happen. That night the young girl had fallen asleep crying. She didn't want to marry him. But neither of the twins knew what to do. They were trapped like rats, and you couldn't safely say no to the king. Especially this one.

However, the Pines girl tried her best to deter him. Gideon took it slightly well, thinking her coy, but he was obviously getting impatient. With impatience came violence. It was steadily getting worse. Broken dishes at dinner. An almost slap to the face. Just the other day he went so far as to grab her again, slamming her to a wall because she hadn't allowed him to hold her hand. When Dipper tried to pull him off, Gideon had used his magick send the young boy flying into the dinner table. Dipper's body had knocked over the table and broken the vase on it. At the sound of the crash it had seemed to snap the king out of it. And he excused himself.  
But it was enough to scare Mabel into submission.  
Dipper had never wished for his magick more in his entire life. He was helpless without it. Unable to protect himself or his twin. Luckily the twin girl didn't notice his lack of power. She was too wrapped up in her own issues to notice that, and probably thought he didn't use his magick out of fear.

Not only was this going on, but Bill Cipher had seemed to decide to make it his personal mission to drive Dipper insane.  
This had been the worst week of his life. The bastard was everywhere.  
His nightmares.  
His room.  
Around every corner.  
Sometimes other people could see the asshole, other times they couldn't. He never knew which until the damned blonde spoke. He would make snide remarks, and if no one reacted but him, Dipper would know how to behave.  
His twin, and several servants, were getting extremely worried about him. He didn't blame them. He was an anxious mess. And it must be very disorienting to catch your brother angrily arguing with a wall.

With a slight shake of his head, Dipper turned away from the window only to yelp when he saw someone standing to the side of him. "For fucks sake do you have to do that?!" The brunet growled, glaring up at the blonde as he clutched the front of his dark green button down shirt.

Bill let out an obnoxious laugh and picked up a book by its front cover, letting the pages splay out. He studied it for a moment before tossing it lazily back down. "You're so sensitive Pinetree. I just thought I would come see if you enjoyed your latest nightmare. You were quite a crier this time~"

The brunet gently picked up the book and smoothed out the pages, setting it aside. He scooted the books to the very edge of table, as far away from Bill as he could get them while being discreet. "I barely remember it." Dipper spat back, standing up and stretching. It unsettled him how the blonde appeared like that. He wanted to leave, but it probably wouldn't do any good. The bastard would undoubtedly follow him.

Eyes narrowed a little, a smirk graced Bill's lips "Mnn well your fear was delicious and thick. I can still smell it on you. So I'm sure you remember it enough." A shiver raced down Dipper's spine and he suddenly felt a little sick. The way Cipher looked at him knocked him off balance. His hand tightened on the chair as he scooted it back under the table, but he didn't let go of its back.

"Glad to be of service." Dipper muttered "Can't you bug anyone other than me and Mabel? There are hundreds of other people you could torment." He added bitterly, trying to hide his anxiety with annoyance. Bill didn't seem to buy it.

"Well you see, some are easier to feed on than others, and everyone feels different." Bill responded, hopping up so he could sit on top of the table, laying his cane in his lap. "You and Mabel happen to be easy _and_ feel good. Your energy leaves me almost high.~" He almost purred, leaning back on his palms as he studied Dipper intently.

A bit of his scholar side came out then, Dipper loved books. Loved learning, and thinking about this situation from an objective point helped him cope a bit "The book never mentioned that. Fear and misery having different 'flavors'. That's weird."

It was Bill's turn to bristle now "What do you mean? The _book_ didn't mention?" His eyes narrowed and he sat up straight, leaning forward towards the younger boy almost menacingly.

Eyes widening a bit, Dipper responded slowly "I did a bit of research on what you told me, and found out a few things." The brunet didn't miss how Bill's eyes widened just a fraction of a bit, or how he didn't seem too happy with that. However, he didn't understand why the blonde was so surprised. Cipher tormented him in the library often, because Dipper was in the library so much. Both knew what the Pines man had been researching. The blonde just must not have thought Dipper would find anything.

"What did you find?" Bill slowly ground out, twisting his cane in his hands so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His eyes scanned Dipper's face, flickering from his eyes to his lips, obviously trying to read him.

For a moment it crossed Dipper's mind to lie. Or to hold the information over Bill's head, and use it against him. But there was really nothing to hold against the blonde. It was all theories, and no solution on how to deal with the situation he was in. Really it was just interesting more than helpful. After a few seconds, he sighed and crossed his arms "It was all just theories. I managed to piece together a little bit."

From the look on Bill's face, Dipper could tell he was getting impatient. So he quickly continued "There are some people born with the magick to get into dreams. They can cause nightmares or generally wreak havoc. However, none of those people feed on misery or the nightmares they create. So I moved on from there. Then I found some small articles on different curses with certain, weird side effects."

He took a deep breath, eyes meeting Bill's for a moment before looking away as the brunet finished "Those side effects include the inability to eat human food, and the need to feed on darkness, misery, and energy. Like a psychic vampire. Some even said that people like that became psychic vampires."

Bill let out a small snort and rolled his eyes "Psychic vampires don't exist." He stood up, scratching his head and shrugging "Well you just wasted a lot of time. All of that is a load of shit."

But something inside of Dipper told him that wasn't true. After a moment he reached up to the far right corner of the table, just behind where he had pushed the books, and picked up a can of pitcola. He could feel Bill's eyes on him as he opened it with a loud click, and offered it to the blonde. "Why don't you take a drink? Must be thirsty after listening to all of that 'bullshit'."

An angry grimace crossed Bill's features but quickly disappeared. Then he shrugged, a cool smirk taking up most of his face, and took the can from Dipper. Slowly he brought it up to his lips, holding it with two fingers and a thumb, and for a moment the brunet felt disheartened. Maybe he was wrong… but then he felt a cold liquid spilling over his head, and he gasped and sputtered. "What the fuck?!"

"I hate pitcola." Bill stated bitterly, shaking the can to get the last drop off before tossing it aside. The sticky liquid drenched the top of Dipper's head, darkening his hair, and he tried to shake himself off. He had never missed a simple 'instant dry' spell so much.

As Cipher turned, about to wander away, the gypsy boy caught his wrist and yanked him to a stop. A snarl curled the Pines boy's lips and ripped through his throat "This has nothing to do with you hating the drink! You couldn't drink it!"

"Kid you're really starting to test my nerves. And I don't have any. So if you value your life.."

"Just admit it. You're cursed." Dipper slicked back his hair with his fingers, revealing his odd birthmark. Cipher stared at it for a moment, distracted for a second until the brunet's words sunk in.

"I don't know what you're talking about." A bit of pain filtered across Bill's face and his eyes faded to deep scarlet. One of his hands when to his left wrist and he rubbed it softly. Dipper never thought he would see pain cross Bill's face. "If anyone's cursed here it's you Pinetree. You're the one who's life has fallen to hell. What with your sister being sexually harassed. And no way to protect yourself."

For some reason Bill's words didn't hurt him quite as much. He couldn't look away from Bill's wrist, where he was rubbing it. When the blonde realized Dipper was looking he let go and crossed his arms… But not before the gypsy boy saw blood seeping through the white cuffs of Bill's dress shirt. "You're bleeding.." He pointed out, surprised and curious.

The crimson in the blonde's eyes started to almost glow a little as he glared at the younger man. That look made Dipper's blood run cold. "Say a word about this to anyone.. and I will kill you." Then the bulb in the lamp on the table blew with a loud pop. Surprised, Dipper jumped and stumbled back, tripping over the chair.

He fell back, flailing his arms to try and catch himself. He only managed to bash his hand into something hot and hard. A loud cry of agony left his mouth as he landed on his ass. Beside him the books fell to the ground with a procession of hollow thumps and flutters. His wheeling had knocked them over, and it became quite apparent as to what had burned him.

Bright blue fire radiated off the books he had been reading, quickly burning them to ash. The fire didn't spread, just ate away at the pages of the books. It was obviously unnatural, enchanted. Blue light caused shadows to define the hallow of his cheeks and tinted him blue. His hand stung and when he looked at it in the light of the fire, Dipper realized he had bright angry red spirals on the back of his right hand and along his fingers. Even in the pale blue light he could see that the skin was already blistering and he felt angry tears prick his eyes in pain. Shit that hurt.

As he stood, the young gypsy kicked the ashes of the books bitterly. It was already out and he wavered in the dark for a moment, watching the last blue embers fade out.  
Well he had his answer, not that it helped him much. He knew what Cipher was. He was cursed, even if the older man hadn't said it himself.


	5. The Letter

The nasty feeling of needles prickled up the gypsy boy's arm as he tried to refrain from hissing. It was just barely unpleasant he reasoned, and he stared down at the blonde head bent over his blistered hand. Her thin hands were cold and covered in rubber gloves. Grey morning light filtered in from the small window to his left, and the blonde medicine enchanter kept shifting his larger hand further into the light to get a better look.

"Tell me how this happened again?" Mabel asked for what felt like the billionth time. A mixture of emotions shifted across her face. Worry. Anxiety. Annoyance. The last one probably came from the fact he hadn't sought out the doctor the night before. Instead he had gone to his room and crashed on the bed, only to wake up to Mabel flipping out. Some of the blisters on his hand had popped and seeped disgusting goo down his inflamed fingers. Rather revolting, and more than a little painful.

Dipper let out a small sigh and turned his head to stare blankly out the window "Bill is an enchanter, and we got into a fight. He got mad and fired up the library. I accidentally fell into the fire." He wanted to stay as vague as possible. If Bill was good to his threat, and the brunet figured he would be, then he couldn't tell his twin about the curse without putting her into even more danger.

"What was the fight about?" She stood to the side of the female doctor working on Dipper's hand, hovering just out of the way. They were both still in their pajamas. Mabel wore a fluttery pastel pink nightgown with lots of bows and ribbons. The male brunet had managed to slip on a loose tshirt before she drug him out. Her fingers threaded through the ends of her chestnut hair, twisting it nervously.

"Just something stupid." He watched as bird fly past the window and startled a chipmunk in the tree that grew right outside, sending the rodent flying down the trunk. "He's unstable Mabel. Probably a side-effect of having an Intensify spell on his eye." That wasn't actually all true. Intensify spells didn't make you emotionally unstable. They could make your magick unstable, and if you didn't learn to control it, it could be unbearably dangerous. But Mabel didn't know that.

"What Intensify spell?" Dipper looked at her, surprised, but she genuinely appeared confused. Her eyebrows knitted together and she chewed on her bottom lip as she cocked her head to the side.

"The one on his right eye. You had to have seen it."

"No.. I didn't."

The gypsy boy gave a small shrug "He's smart and probably puts a glamor over it. But it doesn't matter. He got mad at me because I threatened to tell Gideon about the illegal Intensify spell he has. So he threatened me, and then this happened." He nodded towards his inflamed hand, where a soft green glow of healing magick came. It highlighted his soft cheekbones and rounded chin where a bit of stubble grew, he would have to shave soon.

A light snort shook the blonde girl's shoulders "You would be an idiot to think his majesty isn't aware of the Intensify spell that Cipher has." This was the first time she had spoken beyond asking him generalized questions about his wounds. It was also the first time the twins had really paid her much attention. The girl was beautiful, with long blonde hair pulled back into a high ponytail, clean cut bangs and sharp dark blue eyes. She was tall, about 5'6, and Dipper could tell she had a killer figure even beneath her white lab coat.

"What are you talking about?" Dipper winced when she smeared some green lotion on his wound before backing off to rummage for some bandages in the cabinet a few feet away from them. Her heels clicked on the tile floor as she moved, and she shut the oak and glass cabinets with an almost forceful snap.

"Intensify spells are illegal right? Most of them are kept in the forbidden library." The girl gave them a sharp look as if to say 'think dumbasses'. "It's very unlikely he got them from anywhere else. And only the king can get down there." The way she said 'his majesty' or 'the king' suggested she didn't think very highly of Gideon.

But she was right. Dipper had never thought about that. "So you think Gideon gave Bill the spell?" The male twin asked, his voice coming out soft as he frowned in thought.

Just before Mabel asked "Who are you?"

The blonde took a soft breath, her shoulders a bit rigid as she wrapped Dipper's hand "Pacifica Northwest. I was Gideon's last 'cousin'." Her blue eyes didn't look up from her work, expression calm and concentrated.

Both of the twins gave a small 'Oh' face. If that meant what they thought it meant, they felt a bit of an immediate kinship with the somewhat prissy girl. "So why were you his cousin?" Mabel asked, her face showing her empathy loud and clear. Her eyebrows were upturned and lips a softer frown, arms crossed, and eyes wide.

Pacifica seemed to bristle at the empathy, not caring for it, and she turned away, taking off her rubber gloves. The gypsy boy looked at his hand, surprised at the tender care and precision that she had wrapped it. Her work with medicine didn't reflect her overall attitude. "Same reason you are. He wanted to have me. So he requested that I come to the palace to work as a healer. My parents agreed. They love bragging about me." She shrugged a little. Suggested was never an actual 'suggestion' with Gideon.

"So he wanted to marry you too?" The Pines girl asked sadly.

Blue eyes cut into Mabel's brown ones "I never said that. There's a big difference from wanting to have someone, and wanting to marry them. But I suppose I should thank you, because he quit coming to me after you arrived."

The bile in Dipper's stomach lurched then when he realized what Pacifica meant, and he knew from the horrified look on Mabel's face that she got it too. Gideon was a sick bastard, sleeping with whoever he wanted even if they didn't want it. "Then what are you still doing here?" The gypsy girl asked after a long, tense moment.

The blonde began putting away her things, and gave a small shrug "I don't think he cares about whether I stay or not.. but honestly, life is better here than at my parents' house. Once Gideon got his dick away from me anyway." She shut one of the cabinets a bit too forcefully.

The twins nodded slightly, not wanting to push for much information. They didn't want to make the healer open up if she didn't want to. But from what she had said, it felt like they had just made an ally. "Anyway… Sorry to say you're going to scar." Pacifica continued, getting back to business "If it had been normal fire, I might have been able to prevent that, but enchanted fire is a bit more tricky. Whatever you did to piss him off, don't do it again. Bill Cipher is dangerous. I've never personally dealt with him, but I've healed a lot of people who have. And don't expect Gideon to do anything to help you if you cross Bill." She took a soft breath, and leaned against the counter a few feet across from them. Then she tilted her head as if to listen, eyes flickering here and there before stepping back towards them.

From the way she did that, the twins understood that what she was about to say was important. After a moment, she seemed to believe they were indeed alone.. and her voice lowered. "You can absolutely not go around telling anyone this. The only reason I'm telling you is to warn you. If Gideon found out you knew, he would kill you. He doesn't even know that I know.. he told me when he was drunk off his ass." Her eyes flashed a little as she looked between the twins.

"We won't tell anyone…" Mabel whispered back, reaching over to take her twin's uninjured hand.

"You can trust us.. I mean.. we're basically in the same boat here." Dipper agreed, and Pacifica seemed to consider that for a moment before nodding.

"It's no secret that Gideon took the throne young, but do you know how he got it?" Pacifica asked softly, her face close to theirs. Luckily the doctor's wing of the palace was on the bottom floor and in a far off corner of the palace. It was designed to be soundproof, no one likes to hear the screams of the injured, and not many people came by here. Pacifica had a few nurses working underneath her, but they knew to leave her alone when she handled a patient.

The twins shrugged a little at her question "We always heard they died from a disease or something." Dipper replied. His broad shoulders were hunched as he leaned towards her, brushing his thumb in soothing circles over his sister's hand.

"I thought it was a horse riding accident?" The female twin questioned, raising an eyebrow. She met Dipper's eyes curiously, but neither were sure who was right so they turned back to the blonde for clarification.

Pacifica nodded and gave a bit of a huff "Exactly.. no one outside of the palace knows for sure. In fact, most of the servants who did know were disposed of. So really, no one knows anymore." She shrugged and crossed her arms "From what I understand, like I said he was really drunk so it was a little hard to follow, he made some sort of deal with Cipher. In exchange for something, Cipher killed Gideon's parents so he could take the throne."

An audible gasp came from Mabel and she covered her mouth "Th-That's.. awful.." She whispered softly. "Why…?" Her voice came out in a bit of a whine.

"Power. If you haven't noticed, his majesty is power hungry." The blonde responded, voice tinged in disapproval, placing a hand on her hip "The point is.. don't anger him, or Cipher. Both of them are dangerous. Really you should stay away from Cipher as much as possible."

"He seemed so nice…" The long haired brunet said, twisting the end of her hair in her free hand "I can't believe Bill would do that." She bit her bottom lip, staring at the ground. Her face darkened a bit in thought. Mabel always did see the best in people, and when proven wrong it hurt her a little more than it would anyone else.

Dipper could believe he would do that. Anything for a deal, and Bill was dangerous. He knew that for a fact, but he felt like Gideon was strangely more dangerous than Bill. After all, he was the one who made that deal. This must have been what Bill meant by him and Gideon going 'way back'. "Thanks for.. ya know, telling us. And healing me." The male twin finally said, hopping up off the table he had been seated at.

"If Gideon ever asked you to marry him, would you have said no?" Mabel asked suddenly, taking her twin off guard. Even Pacifica seemed surprised by the change in conversation.

Several conflicting emotions crossed the blonde girl's face before she gave a small, sad smile "I was lucky. He just wanted to screw me. But if he had asked.. I would have learned to be ok with saying yes because you couldn't do better than a king." She paused and licked her full pink lips "But you couldn't do worse than Gideon."

Mabel gave a little nod after a moment. Then she squared her shoulders, standing up taller and putting a smile back on her face. Dipper could tell she wanted to be brave, to be herself, but she was shaken. Still, he admired her. With a wider smile the young girl reached over, squeezing Pacifica's hand "You should join us for lunch."

Dipper nodded in agreement. At least they had made a friend.

The burn scars on Dipper's hand looked like pale spider webs, curling across his fingers and swirling on the back of his hand. He could feel the middle aged woman staring at it as he handed her the plain white envelope.

"So you're sure you know the PO box?" Dipper questioned for the third time. The pair were standing in the back of the library, surrounded by stacks of encyclopedias and other reference materials that no one cared about. They were surrounded on each side with only one path in and out. In this back nook the Pines man was pretty sure that no one would overhear their conversation.

"Yes yes.. I know it. It's PO Box 189 in Springsburrow." The woman's green eyes met the young Pines man's worriedly "Will you and your sister be ok? Are you sure they will get the letter?"

It had taken Dipper another month to finally pick someone to deliver his message for him. Her name was Jessica Mitchel. She was a teacher at a school in Rivervine, a town about an hour ride from here. The woman was an avid reader, and volunteered at the library on the weekends. Dipper had noticed her because she noticed him. She had recommended a few books to him about magick after seeing the subjects he was reading. It didn't take long to realize she was his biggest candidate to getting a message outside.

"We will be fine. We've been here for almost 2 months now. We can last a bit longer." The gypsy boy felt a warm hand on his shoulder, and a bit of comfort swept through him from it. It was like a mother's touch, and he hadn't felt that in a long time. Even at 17 he didn't feel like a child much anymore, but this woman was about the right age of being his mother. Her hand brushed his cheek and she nodded.

"I'll hurry then." Soft grey peppered curls fell around her face as she gave him another touch on his neck. Jessica held his eyes for a moment before stepping back and turning away. With a backwards glance she hurried off and tucked the letter into her soft tan bag as she hurried around the corner.

"Please do.." He whispered after her, rubbing his arm and taking a deep breath. For once in a long while, he felt a bit of hope. Once Lee and Ford and Wendy saw that letter, they would know that the twins were alive. Then maybe they could come help them. He had laid out detailed instructions about the palace. About the weak points, the guard routes, everything he possibly thought could help them.

Once he was sure that she was gone, the brunet weaved through the many stacks and made his way back to his usual table. Over the past month he hadn't seen much of Bill, except in his nightmares. It seemed the blonde was giving him a bit of space. Even so, Dipper kept doing research on what Bill's curse might be. If for no more of a reason then out of curiosity. So far he had found very little out. There were some curses that bound you to another person, which might explain the 'mistress' thing. But he couldn't find any specifics. A common theme among curses was the inability to talk about them. Which might explain a few things, but for the most part Dipper had hit a dead end.

Giving a small sigh, the brunet slumped back in his chair and rubbed his tired eyes. His head ached. Everything had been going wrong so much lately that he had forgotten what it was like to feel immense hope. It made anxiety gnaw in his chest and his stomach twist. Jessica was their one shot. Help had to come before Cipher drove the twins mad, or Gideon got tired of Mabel denying him. It would come. For their sake he couldn't believe much else.

"Pinetree~ It's good to see you." An obnoxiously rough voice made Dipper's shoulders tense. And he had just began to think that Bill had decided to leave him alone.

"You see me every night in my nightmares. Don't act like you don't." Warm sunlight filtered in from the jade leaves above the brunet's head. It was mid-August, and almost unbearably hot. Even so, Dipper had decided he wanted to read outside that day. He had been flipping through the pages of a mystery novel. Mabel and Pacifica were walking the maze with Waddles, who had been moved into the female twin's room just after weening a month ago.

"There's a difference between seeing your face in the agony of a nightmare, and in the light of a warm August afternoon." Bill responded with a chuckle, lazing back beside the brunet. His arm wrapped around the back of the cool marble bench. The blonde didn't touch Dipper, but he got close. As older man sat, the younger one scooted as far away as he could, to the edge of the too small bench. It only added a pitiful couple inches of distance.

"Well what do you want? I was actually enjoying not seeing you every day." Brown eyes flickered up to meet golden ones, a bit skeptically. All of his distaste was quite obvious in the brunet's expression. It didn't seem to even phase the blonde enchanter, though. In fact, it just made him smile more. Dipper wondered why Bill seemed to enjoy being a thorn in his side.

"Aw lil Dipper I'm hurt."

"Don't call me that." The gypsy boy hoped Bill would leave before Mabel and Pacifica came back. He tucked one ankle over the other and shifted them underneath the bench as he held the book a bit tighter. His twin might charge at Cipher and try to hit him. She was blatantly unhappy with him hurting her brother.

"Can't I just come by to say hi? Make sure you're not suffering too much?" Each word he said sounded more condescending than the last. He tilted his head to the side and leaned closer to Dipper, the sunlight causing speckled shadows to dust his tan cheeks.

"It's very doubtful." Dipper ran his fingers over the pages of his book, staring down at it and pretending to be reading. He hoped that his faked disinterest would make the man go away.

"Well you're right on that one." Bill agreed, running a hand through his blonde hair and returning to leaning back in the bench, stretching out his long legs. "I've come to offer you another deal." He finally said, lifting up the hand that wasn't behind the brunet's back. The fingers glowed blue and a leaf from above their heads fluttered down to the outstretched fingers Dipper tensed.

"I don't know why you would think I would want another deal from you." The brunet ground out, jaw so tight he almost couldn't speak.

"Because I can get you and you sister out of here." Bill stated, and Dipper felt his eyes on him, even though he wasn't looking at the older man. From the way the blonde was acting it was like their last conversation never happened. It would probably be best to act that way too, but it was hard for Dipper to not feel on edge. Especially after learning that Bill wasn't beyond killing if it made him gain something.

"And how do you intend to do that?" The gypsy finally questioned, closing his book and finally looking over at Bill. A soft breeze ran over his face, cooling the sweat on his collar. His clothes suddenly felt too tight, too stuffy. Though his sleeves were rolled up and he wore shorts.

"Just believe that I can.." Cipher sighed a little and cocked his head to the side, golden eyes glinting in the sunlight "You've seen what I can do. You know I'm good on all my deals. If I promise to get you and her out. Then you will."

A small frown passed across Dipper's lips as he pursed them a bit skeptically "Well.. then what do you want in return?" He wouldn't really take the deal, but he felt like he could entertain the idea.

"Your virginity."

"What the fuck you pervert?!" Immediately the brunet's face changed to bright scarlet and an angry expression made his eyebrows furrow and teeth bare. "You're sick you know that!?"

In a second Bill was cackling like a hyena, curled over and clutching his stomach. His face lit up when he laughed, and Dipper didn't miss the beautiful expression. Though he was too infuriated to really appreciate it. After a few long minutes of him laughing and Dipper wondering if he should be walking away from this crazy bastard, Cipher finally caught ahold of himself and sat up straight, shoulders trembling a bit. Even as he tried to compose himself, he snorted every so often, laughter threatening to bubble out of him again "It's not.. like that." He finally sighed.

"How else could it be?!" Dipper growled, bangs falling in his flashing eyes. He was clutching the book so tight that his knuckles were white.

"Don't flatter yourself. I find the very idea of taking your virginity a regrettable means to an end." Bill stated blandly, only making the brunet bristle more. That was an obvious insult.

"Well I don't give a shit what you want it for. It's not happening." The male twin spat back. He sat the book between himself and the blonde before crossing his arms defensively. One of his feet kicked a rock in the grass as he tried to regain control of his temper.

Bill shrugged dismissively, peering back up at the crystal sky "I just came to give you a chance to freedom, but if you won't take it then suit yourself. I never said you weren't an idiot."

"I don't need your help. I've already got help coming. Me and Mabel will be out of here without you." Dipper spat, glaring at Bill again. This was such a ridiculous question. He wasn't about to give his virginity over to a sadistic man. Not only had being gay never crossed his mind, but he was also saving himself. Him and Wendy were going to share that special moment together. Whether before marriage or after didn't matter, he simply only saw that happening with her.

An almost mocking smile curled on Bill's lips "So you managed to contact your worthless little gypsy family?"

"Yes. Not that it's your business. I sent them a secret letter." Dipper said. Why was he telling Bill this? He didn't trust this man, but it had slipped out in his flustered state. He wanted to prove that he didn't have to rely on the blonde's help. That he could do things himself. The sound of a twig snapping to his left made Dipper's head jerk around, but he didn't see anything beyond the corner of the large green hedge corner. No one ever came out here except him, Mabel, Pacifica, and the animals. It must have been an animal.

"I'm surprised you pulled that off." Bill said with a shrug, lazily standing up "But I doubt it will work. Even if they come, his pricky majesty will just capture them and they will all die." He said it so flatly and 'matter-of-fact' that Dipper wanted to punch him. His hands tucked in the pockets of his black trousers, shoulders hunched as he stood there, utterly relaxed.

"You're wrong. They're smarter than that."

"You'll wish you made this deal with me. But that's just obvious." A wolfish, too wide grin crossed Bill's features and he gave a small wave before disappearing in a curl of smoke.

Right after he's gone, Mabel and Pacifica raced up. The female twin graced Dipper's head with a pink flower crown before showing him how Waddles would actually wear one too. Even as he interacted with his friends he felt like he was hearing them from far away, and the once hot sunlight felt unsettlingly cold.

Later that night, right after dinner, Dipper headed into the library as he did every day at 8PM. Jessica and him agreed that once she had a reply, she would put it in an encyclopedia underneath 'D' right next to the definition 'delivered'. He took a deep breath as he got back into the dusty stacks. The books towered over his head and he reached up on his tiptoes, fingers brushing the spine of the hefty novel he needed. With a small grunt he tugged it out and quickly flipped it open to the page he need.

It felt like a jab of surprise had punched him in the chest. The letter was there, nestled small and tighter against the center of the yellowing pages. For some reason he had almost stopped hoping it would ever come. But there it was, his name signed in the front in Ford's chicken scratch. Hastily he put the book back before sinking to the dark wooden floor. He leaned back against the bottom shelf of the books and ripped the red wax seal on the envelope's back off.

His brown eyes flickered around, making sure he was alone before he tugged out the thick letter. The hard shelf behind him dug into his spine, but he barely noticed as his eyes anxiously scanned the words.

 _Dipper,_

 _We were as much relieved as surprised hearing from you. The Huntsmen who took you had come back with news of your death the day after you were taken. I guess this is proof that they were lies like we theorized._

 _The information you provided shall surely come in handy, but it may take us a while to form a plan of attack. But don't worry, we will be coming. You two became a part of our family the moment you showed up as two starved rugrats all those years ago. We don't abandon family. I can't give you details of a plan, for fear of someone reading this. Just know we will be there soon. Stay strong. Don't give up._

There was a small break in the letter as the handwriting changed. Already Dipper's shoulders were trembling and his scarred hand was wiping at his eyes. He wanted to keep from crying, but the next part had his heart aching.

 _Hey dude. Hearing that you're alive and in danger hurts almost as much as thinking you were dead. I'm grateful though. I don't know why you didn't say why the king took you, but I guess it doesn't matter the reason. I'm going to make him wish he never did. I love and miss you so much, and I can't wait to see you again. Don't let any of those palace prisses sweep you away, or I might have to kick your ass after I save it. See you soon,  
Love Wendy _

A small hiccup escaped Dipper's throat and he rubbed at his eyes with one hand before tracing his fingers over her signature. Gods he missed her. With everything going on he had forced himself to not miss her, but now it all came back in full force. Just as he folded up the letter, planning to hide it in his room, he felt it give an odd shudder before bursting into flames. Blue flames.

He let out a cry of surprise, dropping it, but surprisingly the fire didn't burn him. Just the paper. The brunet's red tinted eyes shot up, spying Bill leaning against the books straight ahead "What the fu-" A warm hand suddenly clamped down on his mouth and his eyes widened fearfully.

There was a brush of air against him from the inhuman movement. Warm breath licked at his face and a lean body hovered over him almost like a blanket. Bill pressed a gloved finger to his own lips, shushing him. Dipper's face turned scarlet at how close they were. His eyes were locked with Bill's and his heart hammered in his chest. He never noticed how pleasant the blonde smelt. Like a subtle sweetness of washed linen, and leather cleaner, probably his shoes, with an overall deeper smell of sun or fresh air or rain. Something that Dipper couldn't quite understand. But it made his mouth water and stomach flutter.

Then another hand was grabbing his arm and painfully yanking him up. The hand was large and rough and made the boy yelp. He craned his neck back to spot Bill, but the blonde was gone and so was his letter. No ashes even remained. Another man then blocked his view of where he had just been. He fearfully realized he was boxed in on each side. Front, back, left, and right. "Where are you taking me?! Ow that hurts!" The men were Huntsmen. They wore the shining emblem on the front of their black shirts.

"Dipper Pines you are under arrest for consulting with enemies of the crown." The Huntsman clutching his arm stated, and horror dropped like heavy lead to the bottom of his stomach. How had they found out?

"I'm sorry my dear. But the evidence is clear. Jessica Mitchel confessed to delivering a letter for Mr. Pines just before I sentenced her to death on grounds of being an accomplice." The king stated mournfully with a shake of his head. Despite his words, Dipper didn't buy any part of the act Gideon was putting on. That bastard wasn't mournful, he was enjoying this.

The only stroke of luck that the universe decided to give the imprisoned brunet was the fact that Jessica hadn't confessed to having already delivered a responding letter back to Dipper. There was no evidence to prove otherwise either. Dipper could only assume that that was why Bill had burned the letter, to save his ass from more trouble, though he didn't know why. That meant Bill probably hadn't been the one to turn him in either. If the blonde enchanter wanted to turn Dipper in, he would have let him get caught with the reply letter too.

A drop of blood dripped between the male twin's feet into the blue carpet where he stood amid two Huntsmen. Back in the throne room. Back in heavy enchanted cuffs that dug into his skin, and reminded him that he was in trouble now. He couldn't believe Jessica was dead. The guilt weighed heavy on him. She had been so sweet and selfless and good, she wouldn't have helped him otherwise. This was entirely his fault. He didn't know how Gideon found out, but fuck there must have really been eyes everywhere. He had been so careful, so precise. He just shouldn't have taken the chance.

Mabel teared up more and turned back towards Dipper, terrified. She was at the foot of the stairs that led to the throne. Huntsmen stood between the two. She wasn't allowed to touch her brother. He was 'dangerous'. This was all news to her, her twin had made sure to keep her in the dark. He wanted to wait until he had the letter back, not give her false hope. He also wanted to make sure she had true ignorance in case something like.. well this happened.

"But Lee and Ford and Robbie aren't felons!" She protested, whirling to meet Gideon's eyes pleadingly again. Her long blue dress swept around her ankles and her fists clenched together. "They're good people!" Her face was flushed from crying, she was scared and Dipper felt all the more awful for putting her in this position.

"You don't know your 'family' as well as you think you do my dear. I have documentation of thievery, violence, and even plots of rebellion against the crown." That was such bullshit and the twins knew it, but they stayed silent as Gideon continued "I can't let an act like Dipper here committed go unpunished. If I showed favoritism to even my most cherished friends I wouldn't be taken seriously anymore." He frowned, crossing one leg over the other, and met Dipper's eyes "I will be kind though. The punishment for what you have done is worthy of death. But..." The male brunet didn't miss the small twisted smile that crossed Gideon's features "Instead I sentence you, Dipper Pines, to 30 lashes in the palace courtyard. Within the hour."

Aside from the ringing that filled Dipper's ears, he heard Mabel scream. She tried to claw her way past one of the Huntsmen that kept them apart. Their arms barred her as she dug her nails into their neck and hands. She was trying to get to him. She was reaching out her hand for his. But all the young gypsy boy could do was stare at the floor and wonder if he would be alive tomorrow.

"Think of my leniency as an early birthday present." Gideon added with a small chuckle as he stood from his throne.

Oh ya.. that was right. Dipper thought absentmindedly. Their birthday was in a week.


	6. Cat O' Nine Tails

They made Dipper kneel like he was about to pray, and maybe he should have. If the brunet was sure on his standing of gods he might have. The post was made of splintery wood, and it had been easy magick to lodge it in the ground of the courtyard. Courtyard was just a fancy word for the front of the palace, in the middle of where all the fancy carriages pulled up to drop off their fancy guests. Where the castle face was the most intimidating, and all the stones shone in the moonlight like dewdrops. Cobblestone dug irritatingly into his kneecaps and there was no comfortable way to position his half naked body.

The Huntsmen had removed his shirt, leaving him in tan trousers. His hands were bound to metal loops in the sides of the pole above his head, stretching his shoulders and leaving him facing the thin washed out oak pole. Splinters burrowed into his forearms, and sweat made his hair stick to his neck and forehead. News had traveled fast. It had only been close to an hour since his sentence and already almost half the village of Springsburrow, the town the castle was closest to, had come to witness his humiliation.

He hoped that none of his adoptive family or friends would be in the crowd, and yet he hoped they would come save him in time. Springsburrow was where they kept the PO box for any money or mail anyone who personally knew them wanted to send. However, they were travelers. Lee and Ford didn't have a permanent address, so no other part of the caravan did either. And considering they knew that Gideon would be on the lookout for them, they were probably moving more than normal. So it was unlikely that they were anywhere near where they could hear the news. This thought both disheartened Dipper and relieved him. He wanted to be saved, but he didn't want them to see the most mortifying moment of his life.

As ridiculous as it was, Dipper felt the worst part about this was that he couldn't comfort his sister. Gideon was keeping her locked at his side, away from her brother but not away from the show. The pair were seated up high on a makeshift platform in the front of the growing crowd. Plush chairs had been placed there and Dipper had to crane his neck to see Mabel's face. But she merely had to glance down to see his punishment. He only met her eyes once before feeling forced to look away. The brunet couldn't bare her expression. It was too broken.

In the back of his mind it amazed him that Gideon had made his punishment a public spectacle in such a short amount of time. Despite it being 10 or later at night, people still showed up. But before he could really think about that, he heard the clipping of boots approaching him. It wasn't that the sound of movement startled him, people were shouting and talking and shuffling here and there and everywhere.

It was the deliberate clicking of shoes entering the small ring that the Huntsmen had made around him. Cloaked men kept the crowed several feet back from the brunet. So when Dipper heard heavy boots approaching him, he immediately stiffened. His eyes fearfully widened and he craned his neck back behind him to see a tall, muscular figure wearing a Huntsman uniform and half mask. The man was tan and even in his own knelt position Dipper could tell the stranger was taller than him. He had rough stubble on his chin and thin, grim lips. In the masked man's hands was a whip. Somewhere in the brunet's mind, he recognized it as a cat o' nine tails whip. It had nine leather strands with hard knots tied at the ends. Made to tear into skin.

This heavy set, broad shouldered, overly muscular man was the one who was to whip him. It seemed like Gideon was really trying to kill him.

Immediately Dipper's mouth went unbearably dry and his throat closed. He thought he might have a panic attack. The orbs of firelight illuminating the courtyard overhead felt too hot on his skin. His clammy hands clenched the metal rings screwed to the pole like lifelines. Already his muscles tensed into knots and they only coiled tighter and tighter. He wanted to curl in on himself and disappear.

"Attention everyone. As you know, Dipper Pines has been charged with consulting with enemies of the crown." Gideon called out a bit too cheerfully, his voice booming over the crowd and everyone immediately fell silent. Voice amplification spells always had that effect. "He has been sentenced to 30 lashes. However, once this punishment had been dealt with, no one will speak of this crime again. His blood will have washed away all sins and he will be a new man. He will be my beloved cousin, and guest, and everyone will respect him." The king's voice was as smooth as silk. Or maybe oil. It left Dipper feeling dirty and tainted. From the corner of his eye he watched Mabel cringe. She was white as snow and not moving in her seat. Like a crystal statue.

She wouldn't look up from her lap. Dipper wanted her to look at him, to let her know he was ok. But then he heard the thumping of boots again. He saw a foreboding shadow cast over him. When had Gideon stopped talking?

Oh gods.. No. He wasn't ok.  
This wasn't ok.  
He wasn't ok at all.  
His breathing hitched and his panic made his heartbeat fly.

"This is crazy! I didn't do anything wrong!" Dipper shouted, mouth tasting like bile. "This is all a misunderstanding! I'm innocent!" He yanked at the biting cords of rope latching his hands to the rings. He tugged as hard as he could but they wouldn't budge. He tried reciting quick transportation spells or release spells. They rattled and the ropes burned his wrists.  
His magick was gone.  
He was trapped. Bound. Stuck. Imprisoned. "He's lying! He's forcing us to stay here and-"

It felt like fire.  
It cut off his words.  
Like fire had slashed his back and he couldn't remember what he was saying.  
Then it hit again.  
And the whip ripped through his flesh.  
Ripped through everything.  
He thought that it touched his very bone.  
Three more and he finally took a sharp intake of air and clenched his teeth to stop the screams. He tried to count them, but the 9 separate parts of the whip made that difficult.  
And his skin was already getting soft and tender, hurting more with each stroke.  
They came in thick even waves, drawing blood from his shoulders and his spine and his lower back. Even his calves weren't left untouched.

Stars filled his eyes, blood pooled down and stained his pants. A bit of drool dripped down his chin and mixed with snot and tears and blood from where his teeth had bit into his bottom lip to keep from screaming. But he couldn't stop screaming. His muscles convulsed and he clenched the metal of the hoops tighter and tighter. Until his fingers went numb, and his palms stung.

He had to hold onto something. Anything. An anchor. Or he would lose his mind. When he opened his eyes it was a blur of faces. Dipper thought some of them were smiling. Oh gods this was humiliating, and then it hurt too much to feel degraded. It hurt too much to feel much of anything.

Except alone.  
Alone in consuming waves of pain and the cracking of the whip. There was nothing else. Just him, the whip, the ropes, and…. Bill?

"Kid.. Kid look at me." Dipper's eyes cracked open and he was surprised by the fact that the whip had stopped. He felt the blonde's hands cup over his own. They gently untangled his aching fingers from the rope and interlaced them with his own. "It's going to be ok." Bill reasoned. His arms were wrapped around the pole on the other side, so that they were both hugged around the wood together. The blonde's wrists brushed the hoops along with Dipper's, and he pressed his cheek to the pole so he could hold the brunet's eyes. "Just keep looking at me." He whispered, a lot gentler than he had ever talked to Dipper before.  
Maybe gentler than he had talked to anyone before.

"Ya know you smell great right now Pinetree. Your suffering is tangible." Bill cracked a small smile, trying to make Dipper laugh, but it didn't work.

"Is… it over…?" The gypsy managed to wheeze out. His throat was raw, and his back raged like an awful sunburn.

The grim look that crossed the blonde's features made a whimper escape Dipper's throat. He gave a light shake of his head and flicked his golden bangs from his shining eyes "No.. you're at ten. He's taking a water break. The bastards will draw this out for as long as they can."

Dipper felt like he was going to pass out already and he still had 20 more. He wanted to pass out. "I can't do this.. I can't.. I can't.." The brunet whimpered, tears filling his eyes even more just as he heard the man's awful boots again. He was panicking, breath ragged. He wasn't getting enough oxygen. Couldn't anyone see that he wasn't strong enough for this? They tapped on the stone and he heard the whip shake out again. "I-I..I.."

Then a snap and a scream. He arched his back against the pole and he thought he might lose himself again. But then he heard Bill.. he felt his strong hands.. He felt the strange, foreign comfort of it all.

"Pinetree.. Breathe. Just breathe. It's ok kid. You've got this." At that Dipper took a soft breath, and opened his eyes. He held Bill's hands tighter, and he didn't look away from the blonde's face.

Words like that came one after another.  
A stinging, hot iron pain, then words of comfort.  
He sobbed and begged for it to stop.  
But somehow he didn't lose himself.  
He didn't drown.  
His back felt like a raw slab of meat, but emotionally he didn't break.  
His muscles convulsed and his teeth wouldn't stop chattering.  
But Bill's golden, strong eyes and honey laced sentences kept Dipper grounded.

Finally, blissfully, he heard the boots stride away. The brunet heard Gideon say some closing words. He felt Bill's hands disappear, though he didn't see him go.  
When Bill's hands were gone, Dipper stretched his fingers just a bit into the open space and hoped for them again. But there was nothing but air.  
Then it was an array of color. All of his senses were too overwhelmed to really take in anything new.

Somewhere far away Mabel was sobbing. Pacifica was cursing. He was moving. Gods he wished he would stop moving, it just hurt more.  
Everything hurt. Everything was red. Everything was hot. Too hot.

He felt his body laid down on his stomach on something soft. Then he faded out. Everything was blissfully black.

"Kid.. you need to wake up."

"Pinetree. Wake up."

"I said wake the fuck up!"

A monster charged at him and Dipper jolted. His eyes snapped open and he went to sit up off his stomach, only to stop and hiss in agony. For a moment he laid there, blinking and groaning and trying to remember what the hell happened.

"Good. You're awake." Bill sighed, and the brunet blinked even more, only to finally put it all together.

The boots. The whip. The punishment. The screaming.

"What… are you doing here?" His voice cracked and he winced at the awful sound of it. He felt the blonde press a cup to his chapped lips. Though it spilt a little down his jaw, drinking while lying flat on your stomach wasn't easy, he drank grateful big gulps.

"You're lucky I burned that letter for you. You were all 'Oh my god don't burn my love letter!~' then I did and you were all 'Bill you're such a bastard!', but it turns out I'm not much of a bastard am I?" Bill mocked, a smirk on his lips as he sat the cup aside on the nightstand beside him. He made Dipper's voice high and squeaky, which made the brunet pout a little bit. If it weren't for the burning pain in his back, he might have retaliated, but he was too tired for that.

"Thank you.. for burning the letter. I would have probably been even more screwed if you hadn't." Dipper agreed softly "But why are you here?" He tried to move the pillow to ease the ache on his neck, but only grimaced. Moving his arms or body at all burned. Then, surprisingly, he watched Bill step closer and tug the pillow into a more pleasing position. The older enchanter even fluffed it a little for him. Dipper blushed a little at the close proximity, and a lot at how gentle Bill was being. It was unusual.

"Indulging in your suffering of course." The blonde stated with a small smirk, obviously still trying to dodge the grave seriousness of everything. Dipper was in the emergency medical ward. His body was stretched out on a white bed with blood stained sheets. It was a small private room. IVs were stuck in his left arm, though he couldn't do more than feel them, and he was a bit grossed out at that. A heart monitor beeped on that side as well, but he didn't even try to move his neck. It hurt too much to even blink.

Slowly he became aware of someone holding his right hand and he noticed that Mabel was asleep with her head on the bed near his hip. Her hair spilled out over his arm. She was drooling on his palm, but he didn't try to pull away. Bill stood to the side of her, between her chair and the nightstand. Dipper gently shook her, groaning at the movement but not stopping "Mabel.. I'm ok.." He could tell she had been crying. Her eyes and nose were puffy and red. The male twin wanted her to open her eyes so he could make sure she was alright.

"She won't wake up. I knocked her and Blondie out." Bill informed seriously, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder. Looking back beyond Bill, the gypsy boy frowned when he saw Pacifica slumped back in a waiting chair against the wall, out cold. "Blondie did all she could for you, but you were about to die." He shifted and leaned over Dipper. Though the brunet couldn't see what he was doing, he felt a sudden relief to his inflamed skin. A soft blue glow came from whatever magick Bill was performing. The brunet relaxed a little.

"So you saved me?"

"Don't act so surprised. I have to do what's in my benefit. Your suffering is my meal ticket. And your death takes that away." Bill responded flippantly, trying to brush off the brunet's surprise and gratitude. It wasn't working.

Somehow the Pines teen thought it was more than that. Obviously he was stable now, and Bill was still healing him "If you're indulging in my suffering, why are you easing it..?" Dipper asked after a few long minutes of Bill quietly working. "And why did you show up in the courtyard? Just to devour my pain? If that's the case you didn't have to hold my hands." Though he didn't want to relive what just happened, he wanted to understand this new turn of events. Bill had come there and comforted him. That was obvious.

Bill's voice was a bit strained and Dipper couldn't see his face. He was hovered over the brunet's mutilated back, Dipper could only watch his hips and legs "Look. The suffering I inflict is necessary for my survival. I enjoy it, but I wouldn't if I didn't have to. I hate unnecessary suffering. It's just utterly worthless. What happened out in that courtyard was completely avoidable, and ridiculous." His voice was a tight controlled rage, barely above a whisper but completely overwhelming.

So this man actually did have feelings beyond what he usually showed. What Bill said sent Dipper into silence. He tried to piece it together with what he already understood. The suffering being necessary for his survival had to do with him having to feed on it. Just because he needed it didn't mean that Bill enjoyed it. However, Dipper had always thought the blonde liked it from the way he behaved, but now he wasn't so sure. And if Bill had a mistress then she could technically force him to do things too, if he was bound to her. But this was all speculation. Speculation that made his temples throb.

"It's best if you don't think too much about it." Bill said suddenly, and he bent down, his hands still on Dipper's back, as he met the brunet's eyes "Even if you figure it out, it won't help you. And it won't help me."

"Why are you healing me?"

"Like I already said. You're my meal ticket. If anyone's going to kill you, it will be me. But for now there's no need for you to die." The blonde looked away and back at his work, sweat dripped down his neck and his jaw was clenched tight.

"Gideon wouldn't think that what happened was unnecessary." If Dipper didn't know any better, he would think Bill was in pain. But that was ridiculous, why would he be hurting?

"Gideon is an idiot. A cruel bastard. And that's saying a lot if I think that." Bill responded quickly, tracing his fingers across Dipper's bare shoulders. It was like a blissful trail of ice.

"You're just as cruel as he is. Considering the deal you accepted from him." A bit of Dipper's annoyance seeped out at that, and he felt Bill's hands hesitate against his skin.

Bill tilted his head down and he meet Dipper's eyes with a fake, too wide of a smile. His breath brushed Dipper's lips as he spoke, and the brunet caught the scent of mint "A deal is a deal. I don't ask questions, I don't care why I do whatever my customer wants me to do. I just care about what I get in return. I'm not the one who wanted to kill Gideon's parents. He was. Is a sword the demon for running a child through? No. The swordsman is. I'm no demon. I'm just a weapon. Or a powerhouse. Or a wish granter. Or even sometimes a sex toy. I do the things people are either too scared to do or too weak or too pathetic." He held Dipper's eyes through the entire statement. His words sent a chill down the brunet's spine.

It was the most Dipper had ever heard Bill talk. Maybe he was saying it because that information didn't really matter. Or maybe he was just feeling open that day. Either way Dipper nodded a little "You're right." From what Dipper understood, and was piecing together, Bill was evil by circumstance. Still dangerous, still an asshole, and still a bit unhinged. But mostly because of the curse he was under, whatever exactly that meant.

Bill stood up straight again, and went back to work. They were silent for a long while. Finally the blonde took a small step away. The pain in the brunet's back was almost completely gone. "You'll feel weak. You'll scar. And if you move too much the scabs will rip open." A business tone took over the Bill's voice, but Dipper didn't care about what he was saying. His mind couldn't stop whirling around about this new side of Bill he felt like he was discovering.

With a small shake of his hand, Dipper removed it from his sister's and rubbed the drool off on the blood stained sheets. She snorted a snore but didn't wake up. It was the most peaceful sleep he had seen her in in a long time, probably because Bill was here and not tormenting her with nightmares. Before he could ask the blond another question, his eyes caught the scarlet staining the white cuffs of Bill's shirt. "Are you alright?"

A pained expression caused Bill to grimace and he rubbed his right wrist, staring down at the blood flowering the once pristine cloth. He was only in his white button up shirt and black dress pants, his gloves were laying on the nightstand beside him. "Mistress doesn't like it when I do anything for free." He said it as if in a dream, and the brunet didn't know if that statement was even directed towards him. As he said that, Dipper watched Bill's body double over a bit and a scarlet light erupted from his neck. It was like a light had sliced the skin along his jugular. Completely around his collar. As if a thin cord had curled around there and dug in too tight. Bill gagged and blood seeped down his throat across his chest.

"Why doesn't she like it? What's going on?" Dipper panicked a little. He didn't like Bill. Bill wasn't a good person. He was cruel, an asshole, but… this wasn't alright.

"D-Don't.. ask.." Bill whispered, as he sank down on his knees. His one arm hugged his stomach while his other hand clutched the side of Dipper's bed, steadying himself. The blood kept dripping down his neck and stained his wrists more and more. His blond hair hung in his face, and he was taking short, shaky breaths. "Just.. don't." A bit of smoke came off his body as he tried to perform a transportation spell, but it failed. "F-Fuck me.." He growled.

Dipper never thought he would see Bill this.. unraveled. And in a way he felt like it was his fault. If Mistress didn't like Bill to do anything for free, then the blonde had just broken that rule. He didn't ask for anything when he healed Dipper. Hell, he didn't even ask if he could heal the brunet. He just did it.

The young gypsy reached down and gently pushed up Bill's shirt sleeve. The blonde's eyes immediately snapped open and glared harshly at him. His jaw was clenched and teeth barred. Even so, he didn't move to stop Dipper. Whether he was in too much pain or too confused to do so, the younger teen didn't know. Using only one hand, Dipper held the shirt sleeve just enough to move it out of the way. From where he lay he studied Bill's wrist curiously. On the skin, glowing red, was what looked like a tattoo of a shackle going around the blonde's entire wrist. The edges of the shackle were dripping bright scarlet blood, and the entire thing glowed like an angry fire. It was a curse mark. Dipper was sure of it. That was why Bill always wore long sleeves and gloves.

"Don't… ask…." Bill ground out slowly through harsh breaths and clenched teeth.

"You're bound to someone aren't you?"

"Don't.. ask…" He stated again, doubling over even more and a small grunt of pain hit him as another spurt of blood came from his neck. Bill's knuckles on the bed sheets were white "I.. Have.. to get out of here…. And ask… her forgiveness…" Dipper wasn't sure if that comment was directed towards him either. The older enchanter's body flickered as he tried to transport again, but he still couldn't seem to do it.

The gypsy clenched his hands as he hung over the bed to stare down at Bill, worried and biting his bottom lip in thought. Then he felt the ring on his finger. Half the time he forgot it was there. It was just a thin silver band with a ruby cut in a square on it. Mabel had picked it out from the jewelry box in his room. She said it went with everything and was 'him'. That if they were to live here, they might as well do what royals do and wear expensive jewelry.

Quickly Dipper slipped it off his finger and held it down in Bill's face "Here. Take this. Now you didn't heal me for free." He felt Bill's hot ragged breath on his hand, and he winced as the movement jarred his back.

For a moment he thought Bill wouldn't accept it. That maybe it wouldn't be enough. But then he felt Bill's fingers that had been clutched to the bed shift and they curled around his hand and the ring. Blood, Bill's blood, smeared across his palm. The warm metal slipped from his grasp and Bill slowly stood up. He stumbled a little, and his body was trembling, but he stood up straight. As if nothing had happened.

The blonde faced Dipper's bed, where he was still partially hanging off of it. His hair was disheveled, the collar of his shirt was scarlet, as were his cuffs. There was even a bit of blood making his shirt stick to his lean figure. But he didn't try to wipe up the blood. Instead, he stared at Dipper with guarded golden eyes. After a moment he gave Dipper a small nod. Obviously the brunet had witnessed something he shouldn't have. Put more pieces of the puzzle 'Bill' together than he was supposed to.

"You literally can't do anything for free.." Dipper stated softly, and Bill's nose wrinkled in an even more disapproving glare.

"Don't. Ask."

"You can't talk about it at all."

"What part of 'don't ask' don't you get?" The cursed boy ran a hand through his hair and snatched his gloves off the nightstand "I swear Pinetree if you tell anyone. Anything. I will kill you." He threatened, but for some reason it didn't feel quite as forceful.

Then his body started to fade out. Immediately Dipper panicked "Bill! Before you go! I want to make that deal! I want to give you my-"

"Not now Pinetree.." His voice echoed a little as he still slowly disappeared, obviously not having enough energy for a much quicker, more dramatic exit.

"But-"

"Not now."

Then he was gone.

A small groan escaped Dipper as he relaxed back into the bed. He didn't have long to regret letting Bill get away before they could make a deal. Or worry about everything he learned. Exhaustion suddenly crept up on him, and he was out like a light.

That night, for the first time in about three months, he didn't have nightmares.


	7. Forget

Dipper felt a sharp flick on the back of his head and he winced, nearly losing his balance on the thick oak branch he was crouched on. The brunet tilted his head back and pouted a little "Goddamnit Bill! Ya know.. I don't think it's really fair for you to be playing this game." He shifted his feet, slowly turning his body so that he was sitting down on the branch, instead of hunkering on it. It didn't matter now if his feet could be seen through the leaves.

The tanner boy's hand was pinned overhead, holding onto the branch just above the pair, as he cocked his head to the side, a lazy smirk on his lips. His knees were bent so he was a little closer to Dipper's height, body folded forward, but still hovering over the younger man "I have no idea what you're talking about. I think it's very fair." Bill gave a small chuckle as he leaned closer to the pale teen, his shadow casting over the other and his forehead nearly touching the top of the brunet's head "You're just terrible at hiding. Too predictable."

Down below, Mabel gazed up into the green foliage as far as she could, though she could only see the scuffed bottoms of her brother's shoes, and she cupped her hands around her mouth "Damnit Dipstick! Couldn't you hide better?!" The female brunet's lips curled into a small pout as she crossed her arms over her floral blouse.

"You're the one who got caught first!" Dipper shouted down to her, before glancing back over to Bill who had a gloating smile taking up most of his face "And considering you're a 'Powerhouse' I'm guessing you just did some location spell or used a weird energy sensing radar or something like that. All of those things count as cheating by the way." Sunlight peppered small golden patches across their skin, highlighting the younger teens brown eyes. They were several feet above the ground, high enough that if he fell he would break an arm. Dipper was luckily not afraid of heights.

A soft breeze pushed back Bill's messy hair and he laughed a bit harder "Oh so that's what you think I need to do in order to win? I'll have you know, I'm great at Man Hunt simply by my wonderful eyesight and fantastic deducing skills! No magick required!" He shook his head, giving Dipper a disappointed look. As if he was insulted that the brunet would come to any other conclusion. His free hand plucked a leaf from the tree and twirled it between his long tan fingers, tipping it forward and tickling the brunet's nose with it. Dipper batted the leaf away and tried to hold back a poorly timed sneeze.

It still felt weird to be in this sort of setting with Bill. It was too playful. Too content to be truly safe or real. A very quick and easy month had passed since Dipper's painful near death experience. At first, the brunet was bedridden. He could barely walk because of all of the sensitive bruises and scabs. There was only so much quick healing magick could do. During that first week, he didn't see Bill at all.

However, even after Bill started to reappear outside of nightmares again, the deal wasn't brought up. It just went unspoken. Dipper first wanted to wait till he was well enough to hold up his end of the bargain. By the time he was able to move properly, his birthday had passed and it had been almost two weeks. Bill began hovering around again towards the end of the second week. Gideon was behaving and had backed off of Mabel. The tyrant probably wanted to give her some space, for once understanding her distaste for his presence.

Then more doubts entered Dipper's mind.  
Maybe his family would come?  
What if Bill couldn't get them out of there?  
Why did he want such a weird thing anyway?  
Maybe it would be better to wait for Bill to bring it up again?  
But the blonde never did.  
And Dipper didn't know why, but his own anxiety and stubbornness kept him from bringing it up either.

Now here the pair were… dragged out by Mabel, along with Pacifica and a few other servants to play a game of Man Hunt in the garden. Bill had been declared the first hunter, and was sent on a mission to find and tag all the others. Of course, the way Man Hunt worked didn't mean he was searching alone. He found Mabel first, then the other four servants and now Dipper. Pacifica was the only one left. Once you were found you helped the others search. It was like an intense game of hide and seek.

The branch creaked underneath Bill's weight as he dropped off of it. His hand caught the branch just beside Dipper's hip where he was still seated. The oak gave a hard dip and snap back up, making the settled boy nearly fall off the damned thing at the sudden jolt. Then the blonde let go, leaping from branch to branch until his feet smoothly hit the ground. Leaning over the side of the limb, Dipper glared down at the top of Cipher's golden head through the leaves "Show off!"

As the male twin slowly climbed down from the tree, trying to keep his shoes from slipping or his sweaty hands losing their grip, he asked "Where do you think Pacifica's hiding?"

"Maybe over by the elephant bushes? They're great as long as they don't step on you." Mabel offered, her brown eyes trained on him, really looking anywhere but at Bill.

"I don't think she is." Bill answered flippantly, picking at a bit of dirt under his nails. "I think she went back inside. She's a bit too prissy from this." Dipper rolled his eyes, the branch he hung on groaned dangerously as he tried to stretch out his leg for another foot hold.

The female twin stuck out her tongue at the offensive blonde "No way! Paci loves Man Hunt." Her hands went up to her hair, twisting it back and off her neck, into a high ponytail. Mabel's face betrayed her bit of disbelief in her own words. Even Dipper could see that from his slow decent up in the tree.

"We both know Blondie's too… how would you say.. straitlaced to enjoy hiding in the garden." Bill replied, glancing up to where Dipper was and watching him for a moment, raising his eyebrow "Need help Pinetree?"

"No way." Dipper muttered, finally getting his foot between a thin branch and the trunk. He put his weight there, then scrambled to grab another limb.. However his hand missed and he fell back. It appeared he was going to eat his words. Wind danced through his hair and his heart leapt for a split second, he was weightless. The fall wouldn't have killed him, but he waited for the sharp pain in his head or his ass..

However, before he hit the ground, he felt himself jolted to a sudden stop. Dipper's entire body glowed blue. His hands floated near his head and his legs hovered above the earth. He felt the familiar, heated tingling sensation of Bill's magick all around him. Then he was dropped roughly, but not painfully, to the dirt, which was just a couple inches beneath his suspended form. He was facing the tree, feet against the trunk, and he sat up on his hands just in time to see Bill giving a small wave to a stunned Mabel "Anyway, I hate to say goodbye." Bill stated, dusting off his gloved hands. "But, see you around Shooting Star, Pinetree." Before either of the twins could say anything, Bill faded out. The last thing to disappear was his too wide smile.

"Where do you think Bill went off to?" Dipper asked, slowly standing up and trying to calm his racing heart. In the context of curses, that little burst of magick to keep him from bruising his ass probably fell under the 'loophole' section. It wasn't a big 'help', and Bill hadn't really done anything for 'free'. Curses were strange like that, some things just didn't count. Even so, he didn't like what had just happened. Everything Bill did felt like it had a double meaning, he didn't trust that the blonde would simply 'help' him. With a small sigh he wiped some of the bark residue onto his black pants, wincing at the textured burn on his palms.

"Guess he got tired of playing." Mabel shrugged, her nose wrinkled a bit as she approached him "Do you think Pacifica really went back inside?" Her hands ran through his hair, dusting off dirt and picking out caught twigs and leaves.

Pursing his lips in thought, Dipper slowly shrugged "Maybe, its weird Bill didn't find her earlier. So probably." He dusted off his butt, pushing back her hand before she could do it herself. Then he shook his head, flicking his hair into place.

The young girl nodded, her face falling a bit, both of the twins had gotten tired of Bill almost always being right. After a few quiet moments she finally replied "I'm not going to complain about having another person to play with, but don't you think it's weird that he's just been, 'hanging out' with us lately?" The Pines girl had inevitably forgiven Bill once he saved Dipper's life, however she, like most people, was a bit unsettled by his presence. She glanced back to find that the group of servants they had been playing with had disappeared. Once they saw Bill leave, they probably figured the game was over.

Dipper shrugged again, starting to slowly maneuver towards one of the many paths in the hedges "I guess it's a little weird, but he hasn't done anything suspicious lately." Nothing except give them the usual nightmares. The rings under Dipper's eyes were getting more and more prominent, and it was taking more and more makeup for Mabel to hide her own.

"Do you think he could be spying on us? For Gideon?" Mable fidgeted with her loose riding pants, the four of them had gone horseback riding that morning. Pacifica, Mabel, Dipper, and Bill had become a bit of an odd group the past two weeks. After Dipper had gotten better, Bill dropped by on the occasion. He would show up at the stables, hand feeding some oats usually to Snow, his apparent favorite horse. She was about the only one who didn't get anxious when he was around. It was as if he knew when they were going to go riding. Or he would appear in the garden around a corner they had been passing. Sometimes he would be reading a book, and other times he would be playing with an 8 sided rubiks-cube, which would promptly disappear once he saw them. It was a bit creepy, but no one ever denied him.  
Dipper could at least say he was thankful Bill wasn't tormenting him as much anymore.

"I don't think so. Gideon is probably spying on us, but not with Bill." The male twin watched a lazy cloud roll over the dimming sky before glancing back over into the direction of the castle "Anyway, it's about dinner time. We should get cleaned up and head to the dining hall." Dipper stated quietly, walking a bit reluctantly to the left, in the direction of the castle. A leafy bunny with white blossoms hopped past them as they ambled, and the twins watched it with small amused expressions, forgetting their conversation for a second.

"Oh boo~ I don't want to go to dinner with his royal-prissyness." Mabel wined after the bunny disappeared, blowing a raspberry and huffing. Wild ringlets fell around her face, wisps of hair came free with a bit of coaxing from the wind. Her cheeks were flushed, and dirt smudged most of her skin. For a moment Dipper felt like he was looking at the old Mabel, not the clean, proper one the castle had quickly created. But his Mabel, who liked to stay dirty more than clean and dance at 3 AM to no music.

"I know I know Mabes. But we don't exactly have a choice ya know?" The male twin quietly replied, running his fingers across the rough edges of the hedge on his left. Once again his anxious mind twirled back to the idea of leaving this place. Four months. Almost half a year of their lives had been stripped away because of this mess. Where was their promised rescue squad? Shouldn't they be here by now?

Mabel's eyes slid away from him and down to her hands, twisting them anxiously in the front of her shirt "Ya know.. last night he asked what kind of wedding dress I wanted to wear. He's at it again Dipper.." She sounded too old, and quickly her eyes dimmed at the confession, grim mouth pressing tight. She wasn't the mature type, even at 18, and sadness rarely tinted her tone. She wasn't supposed to sound like that. "I told him a poofy princess gown." A dry, almost hysterical laugh escaped her at that, but it quickly disappeared "Ya know Dipstick.. I was thinking that maybe.. everything would be easier if I just.."

"Don't even think about it Mabel." Dipper cut her off quickly, his brown eyes meeting her own wide ones seriously. Each step towards the castle got a bit slower, and they barely noticed the whistling wind or the quiet singing of the birds "I'm going to get us out of here. No matter what." He didn't care if some Huntsmen heard them, right then he needed to reassure his sister that she didn't have to go down that road. His heart burned at the very thought of it.

"Dipper you can't! You know you can't! And I won't let what happened before.." One hand pressed to her chest as she pulled them both to a stop. The other gripped his shoulder, squeezing it tightly "Y-You can't always protect me and.." She chewed on her bottom lip. The tense silence filled by the bubbling of a crystal fountain to their far right. They were just inside the garden now, a yard away from the entrance to the maze they had just passed through. A glittering fountain and several marble benches took up most of the stone cobbled space, along with a few silver lampposts with twisting white veins covered in pastel violet blossoms.

"It won't happen again.." Even the thought of it still made Dipper's back ache. The muscles around his spine involuntarily tensed and his shoulders squared, as if he were waiting for another lashing.

"I'm the older sister. It's just marriage. It doesn't mean anything.." Mabel trailed off again, adding a bit of force behind her words though they sounded very false and hollow. She took a piece of her hair that had fallen out of the ponytail and twisted it in her fingers with her free hand. The lock wound around the tip of her pointer finger so tight that it bloomed red. She didn't meet Dipper's eyes.

"You've been planning your wedding since you were 10." Dipper laughed quietly, one of his hands cupping over the one on his shoulder "It does mean something." He added a bit softer before his nose wrinkled in disapproval "And you're only older by five minutes. So we both know that doesn't actually matter." The young man took another, deeper breath, trying to calm himself down, trying to clear his mind. He had to stay calm, level headed for both of them.

"Maybe he won't be so bad once I'm his wife." She tried again, meeting his eyes a bit sadly.

"It won't come to that. Just give me a little more time. I've got a plan. Don't do anything irrational ok?" Even though he didn't care if someone heard them, Dipper didn't dare to really say more than that.

Mabel nodded after staring at him doubtfully for a moment, glancing around to see if there was anyone around "Please.. don't get hurt again ok?" She whispered softly, holding his eyes as she waited for him to promise. No twigs broke, the twins didn't hear anything other than their own breath and whispers.

A bit of anxiety and guilt filled Dipper's stomach, making his entire torso ache. "I promise.." He gave her hand a comforting squeeze. Giving up his virginity wouldn't hurt too much.  
Right?

"Good. Because if you get into trouble again. I won't let you get hurt. I will marry him. And you can't stop me." Mabel's eyes flashed dangerously as she jabbed a finger into his chest, making him wince. Then she whirled away from him, and stomped off towards the castle. Her riding boots clicked after her, and Dipper watched her long, wavy ponytail sway as she hurried off.

How could saying she would 'get married' sound so much like a threat?

"Ya know.. I was visiting the royal treasury this morning, and I noticed we were running short on… finances." Gideon said softly, over the clinking of silverware, staring down at the fat steak he was slicing through. A bit of blood welled up from the rare meat, and he slid his bite of steak into it. It smeared watery red across his eggshell blue dish.

Dipper choked on his pitcola, coughing and taking another hasty drink to sooth the burn in his throat "Mn.. oh um.. really? Already?" His brown eyes shifted to Mabel, who stared back at him. Both had various expressions of fear, eyebrows together, eyes shining and lips turned down. His majesty didn't sound too happy.

The white haired boy wiped a bit of juice off the corner of his lip, staining the equally white napkin "Yes. Well.. it isn't my fault you didn't make enough." Gideon's voice was a strained, polite tone, rising up as he kept talking "I was thinking that you could go into one of my bigger coal mines this time." He flicked out his napkin, folding it and laying it beside his glass of bubbly wine. A servant came by and refilled it for him. They barely managed to pull back the wine bottle in time to keep from spilling it as a large pudgy hand picked the glass back up. Gideon took a sip of the red wine.

"This time?" The male brunet asked, a shudder going down his spine as his shoulders tensed up a bit. A painful knot formed in his stomach as he clicked together what was about to happen. His tired eyes watched the king's adam's apple bob as his majesty greedily swallowed the alcohol.

"G-Gideon I don't think.." Mabel's soft voice cut off with one sharp look from the harsh pair of blue eyes. It made Dipper sick to watch his sister cower like that.

"My dear, it's merely for the good of the kingdom. This is why you two are still here isn't it? Just in case things like this happen again." Gideon gave a small shrug, chewing on a piece of steak. His back was straight, elbows properly off the table. The man was clean and neat and somehow all the more revolting.

Every chink of the silverware grated on Dipper's nerves. Gideon was the only one still eating. Two pairs of brown eyes locked on the tyrant's every move. The male gypsy's heart wouldn't stop racing. This was bad, very bad. "Sir I don't know if I can do it again." He spoke barely above a whisper, cold hands clenched in his lap, thumb digging almost painfully into his knuckles.

Those words rang in the air and made the knife drag harshly across Gideon's plate. The twins winced at the piercing sound "Can't do it again? No no.. you mistake. You have to do it again. This isn't a choice, just like it wasn't a choice the first time." He chuckled, though there was no real warmth behind the laugh. Blue eyes coldly studied Dipper as if he were an insect. It was then that Dipper realized he was starting to hate that color. Hated the cold, bright blue that Gideon surrounded himself in "After dinner I'll have one of my Huntsmen take you to the mine. I'll give you 5 days this time, since it's such a larger one."

"Dipper.." Mabel whispered, staring at him worriedly. She was closely seated to Gideon's right, within his reach, but Dipper's seat, though to her right, was strategically positioned far enough away they could barely touch each other even with outstretched arms. She still had no idea how he did performed alchemy the first time, and the Pines man could perfectly read how anxious she was about him being gone for so long. He could see the doubt written in her furrowed eyebrows and tense shoulders.

"I'll be fine Mabes.. No worries." Dipper responded immediately, not wanting to rise up any suspicion. He didn't want Mabel to worry, and it would be fine. Everything would be perfectly fine, because tonight… he would make a deal with Bill.

"We've got to stop meeting like this kid!" The sharp, quick paced voice of none other than Bill Cipher filled Dipper's ears. It echoed across the walls of the cavern, and coated him in another layer of anxiety. He stayed turned away from the blonde, using a flickering torch to light up the others within the dank, shadowy mineshaft. Heat from the fire made sweat drip down his temples and smoke dusted a film onto his skin. The brunet carefully stepped down the sides of the shaft, avoiding rock debris and manually lighting up each torch hanging on the rocky walls.

"It's not like I have much of a choice." Dipper responded irritably. He had only been down in the shaft for 10 minutes. Not too long, but already he felt cold, and anxious, and utterly annoyed. It was like being underground just made him pissy. "Look.. I'm ready to-to make that deal ok? Ya know? I'll give you my… virginity.. and you get me and Mabel out of here."

He shakily placed the heavy torch back into its proper metal hold. It clanked and the fire flickered close to his hands, but didn't burn him. Then he wiped off his palms and turned to finally face Bill. The enchanter had a quirked eyebrow and was holding a dark blue ball of fire between his palms. It illuminated his features, highlighting his cheek bones and straight nose, along with the wall he leaned on. Dipper slowly took a few steps towards him, cautiously, a little worried. Even though him and Bill had spent a bit of time together now, he was nervous under these circumstances.

"Come on Pinetree.. you don't seriously think that deal is still on the table do you?" The blonde chuckled, a little bit of a bite to his words. It immediately sent a scary chill down Dipper's spine.

The gypsy came to a stop a few feet from Bill, the blue light from the flame highlighting how wide his eyes were becoming "Wh-What do you mean? Not on the table?" His mouth suddenly felt very dry, and his hands tucked beneath his arms, holding himself.

Bill's smirk vanished and he met Dipper's eyes, tossing the small flame up into the air and catching it, as if it were a ball "Well you see kid. At first I didn't bring that deal back up because we both needed to… recover.. but then I realized that if I waited long enough.. I would have to do half the work and get the same amount of profit. As long as you didn't bring it back up."

Dipper blinked, surprised, and chewed on his bottom lip, he tasted a bit of copper in the back of his throat "You mean… you knew I would.. end up down here."

"Knew and guessed are two different things. But ya, I suppose you could say… I knew." The taller man kicked off the wall, a few pebbles knocking along the dirt floor as he stepped closer to Dipper "I guessed… you would put it off. Then I guessed His Royal Glutton would run out of gold." He shrugged carelessly, throwing the fire from his left hand to his right then back again "Then I guessed you would be thrown back down here. Then I calculated that it takes a hell of a lot less energy to turn coal into gold compared to beating Mr. Gleeful into submission and getting you and your sister out of here." That same smartass, proud of himself smirk took up most of his face. It was almost inhuman.

"You're such a fucking asshole." Dipper hoarsely whispered, his heart burning with hatred again. How had he been so stupid to feel sorry for this cursed bastard? He shouldn't have forgotten that a cursed person, however willing or unwilling, still did horrible things. "I don't want you to change all this coal into gold. I want you to get me and Mabel out of here!"

"Can't do it. Won't do it. But I will save you from getting killed." Cipher stated, his face close to Dipper's now, it was unnerving how he liked to get into the brunet's personal space "I'll keep you from going out like a light if Gideon finds that you didn't do what he wanted." As if for emphasis on that statement, Bill let his blue fire go out. In doing so their faces became so shadowed, all the red firelight behind them, that Dipper couldn't make out Bill's features "All I ask in return is one virginity." He held up his finger, the blue fire lighting up the tip, glowing right in front of Dipper's face. The sudden light nearly blinded him.

This was all wrong. The brunet thought he might puke. Chilly, dank air made goosebumps cover his bare arms. He wished he had long sleeves. Somewhere off in the distance he could hear the dripping of water. It was a calm back beat, slow compared to the echo of Cipher's voice as he spoke. "Wh-Why do you want it anyway?" He quickly wiped at his eyes, trying to get the white image of the small fire from behind his eyelids.

Bill frowned and took a step back, giving Dipper a bit of space as he walked over to the pallet the gypsy had laid out to sleep on. "Well you see.." He took on an informative, almost superior like tone "Suffering isn't the only thing that gives off energy. Every emotion, and every large act gives off bursts of energy." The blonde waved his hands almost sarcastically "Firsts tend to give off the most. Each of these energies can be collected if you know how." The blonde plopped down onto the pallet, leaning back on his hands. "I know how, and my mistress likes to collect. Virginity gives off a beautiful bit of energy." He lit up fire on the tips all of his fingers, swaying them through the air in front of him.. and letting a glow follow as his hands moved. An illusion of a blue line formed. Then a zigzag, and a circle. Different shapes depending on how he moved his hands. Kind of like what you do with firework sparkler sticks. It was just a pretty trick of light.

Dipper's eyes followed the light, feet rooted to the ground where the enchanter had left him "So you want to collect the energy from that moment with me." He recited back the information, and Bill nodded, not looking at him.

Silence filled the air for a long time. Dipper stared at the ground, watching Bill from the corner of his eye play with fire. After a good ten minutes or so, the blonde impatiently huffed "Come on Pinetree. You may have all day but I don't. I'm not going to change my mind on the details of this. Are you taking the deal or not?"

"My virginity for all of this coal into gold.." The words tasted sour on his tongue. He didn't have a choice. There was no other option. His virginity for Mabel's wellbeing and his life. It would buy him a bit more time, and then maybe he could possibly offer Bill one more thing to get him and his twin out of here. It would buy him a bit more of precious time.

A few frustrated tears pricked his doe eyes as he slowly took a reluctant step towards Bill. Then another and another until he hovered over where Bill was seated. He knelt down, knees cracking a bit as he did so, in front of the blonde. It felt as though his limbs were filled with lead "Deal.." His voice broke as he spoke through his teeth.

Bill's hand filled with blue fire and he took Dipper's own outstretched palm, a familiar tickle of pins went up the brunet's arm "Deal." He responded before giving the paler hand one shake, then he yanked the boy forward. The gypsy lost his balance and fell between the blonde's parted legs, sprawled over the other's his lean body. Their lips met in one surprise kiss, nearly missing and teeth clinking a bit.

A shock ran down Dipper's spine and he gasped, teary eyes wide. Quickly he scrambled back off of Bill, falling onto his ass with a hard THUMP "N-No! No kissing!" He muttered, licking his tingling lips and tasting mint. He didn't want to kiss, it was too intimate. Couldn't they get through this without it? Without totally crossing every single boundry?

Another perpetual smirk graced Bill's lips as he sat up again, moving deliberately onto his knees "Yes. Kissing. Look, the better and more pleasurable the time, the stronger the energy." He slowly shifted to hover over the brunet, gently shoving Dipper back onto the mat. His hand lingered on the boy's chest, tracing higher and leisurely undoing the first two buttons of the rusty red shirt "So I would be much obliged if you stopped your whining, forgot whatever is causing your sour mood, and enjoyed this. This isn't rape. You agreed to it. Now keep up your end of the bargain. Then I'll do mine."

Tan fingers brushed Dipper's collarbone as he met those hauntingly golden eyes. Forget what was making him feel guilty, what was making him hesitate. Forget Wendy. Forget his promises. Forget that he wasn't gay. Forget everything making his heart ache, and his stomach twist. Forget his hesitations and inhibitions. He closed his eyes for a moment, shivered as another button was snapped open.

Yes, for a moment.. he would forget. For Mabel. For himself. This was for the best. "Ok." He whispered, opening his eyes with a bit more determination and steal in them. A single tear ran down his flushed cheek. Bill gently wiped it away with the pad of his thumb, then he brought the thumb up and licked the wet salty water off of it.

"Good." Tilting down, Bill pressed his lips to Dipper's again. The kiss was surprisingly warm and gentle. It made the brown hairs on the back of his neck stand up. A long time had passed since the gypsy had been kissed. Dipper felt Bill's teeth bite softly on his bottom lip. One hand pressed his body back off the ground into a half seated position, while the other ran up Bill's arm.  
He tasted mint and sweet tea.  
He could smell the fresh warmth of Bill's skin, and clean linin.  
Yes… Just for a moment…  
it would be so easy to forget.  
To simply let go.


	8. You're Breathtaking

**Chapter 8**

Long tan fingers unbuttoned the rest of Dipper's shirt, and gently pushed it off of his shoulder. He gasped when cool air bit his skin. The brunet felt lips smirk against his own, a soft chuckle escaping his partner's chest. The sound rumbled a bit and stood out against the softer, smaller noises of lips parting and shaky inhaling. "Relax.." Bill whispered, tugging the shirt down and off of the pale body in front of him. Dipper's hands caught a little in the fabric, jerking and he nearly fell back down against the spread of blankets beneath them. He felt like such an utter clutz.

"S-Sorry.." Dipper whispered, his voice hiccupping as he wrapped his arms back around himself, trying to cover his chest. This was all so new that he could barely even think, much less act confident or smooth or really anything other than awkward.

The firelight highlighted the side of Bill's face, making his tan skin glow. The older man gave the brunet an almost disapproving look. Golden eyes studied his tensed body, and he tried not to feel them crawl over his exposed pale skin. Instead, Dipper attempted to focus on the eerily beautiful triangle in the right yellow eye. "Why don't you lay back?" The blonde asked, his hand pushing Dipper down, and breaking his concentration on the Intensify symbol. Callused fingertips pressing against his chest sent a shock down his spine, but the gypsy nodded, doing as he was told.

Dipper felt Bill shift till he was hovered over him, and he quickly looked away. When he realized there was nowhere to really stare, he instantly snapped his brown eyes shut. Darkness overtook him, and all of his other senses heightened. A small sigh escaped the enchanter and brushed the brunet's cheeks. Then hands gripped his wrists, moving them to uncross from his chest and pin over his head. Cold buttons pressed against Dipper's stomach as Bill leaned down. A gentle knee pressed on his shins as the blonde coaxed open his thighs. Then a leg maneuvered between Dipper's open legs.

Scarlet overtook his complexion as he felt a knee brush his groin, but not rub, touching just enough so that he knew it was there. Lips pressed to his jaw, then down his neck, leaving a searing trail of kisses behind. His heart rapidly throbbed in his chest, up his throat and through his temples. Everything was hot. Hot and intense and overwhelming.

"Relax kid.. If your heart goes any faster it'll explode." Bill whispered softly, a laugh just beneath the words. He trailed his fingers down Dipper's arm, making the brunet jerk softly. "You're as sensitive as a 12 year old schoolgirl. Did you and Red never fool around?"

Dipper's eyes snapped open at that and he met Bill's gaze surprised, "H-How did you know about her?"

The blonde raised an eyebrow "Kid.. I've been in your nightmares. Plus, I read a bit of your 'love letter'." Another blush crawled down Dipper's neck. Oh ya.. That was right. "Anyway, I expected you to be a virgin, but you're being downright pitiful." Bill muttered, a hand caressing across Dipper's shoulder and down his side. A shiver racked the brunet's body so hard that his entire frame started trembling.

"W-We k-kiss but.. but never really more. I-I wanted to wait.. until.." Gods even his teeth were chattering.

Something between pity, understanding, and even kindness crossed through Bill's eyes. His lips became a bit of a grim line, and he nodded "I get the picture. Well, at least getting you off will be easy." In a quick dip, Bill caught the gypsy's lips in another surprise kiss.

The kiss swept away the words about to form in Dipper's throat. A small whimper did manage to escape as the brunet brought his hands up, shakily resting them on Bill's warm neck. He hated how submissive he was behaving. It wasn't the way he acted with Wendy, but then again, this was entirely new ground.  
Maybe he should just lay here and take it?  
Let Bill have his way and then forget about this entire thing?  
No.. no.. Bill wanted him to enjoy it.  
It was Dipper's side of the deal to let the enchanter collect as much pure energy from this moment as he could.  
So he just had to push past his anxiety, and enjoy it.

A wave of fever entered his end of the kiss, and he felt Bill's lips hesitate a little. Dipper's mouth curved into a small smirk at catching the blonde off-guard. He tangled his fingers in the dark roots of his partner's hair, and tugged gently. Then he kissed even harder. Firmer and deeper. His teeth bit the tanner man's upper lip almost painfully, but that action only caused a barely audible groan to escape Bill's throat.

Lips still pressed together, the brunet felt Bill remove his hands from his waist and heard the shifting of clothing. Then bare skin brushed against his own chest. Only when he felt metal tickle his collar bone did he pull back. Dipper's breath came out in fast pants, and he blinked quickly, hand catching a round, silver loop. A ring. The ring he had given Bill.

It was the first time he had ever seen Bill blush. Just a light, dusty pink shade over the bridge of his nose, but it was there.

"You kept it?" Dipper asked with raised eyebrows. Yet again, surprising the tanner man.

"Mn.. Mistress didn't want it. So I decided to." Bill replied with a small dismissive shrug, but the brunet wasn't sure if he believed Bill cared as little as he was trying to show. Quickly, the blonde snatched the ring from Dipper's grasp, tugging the long silver chain over his head and dropping it into the growing pile of clothing.

In those moments of quiet movement, the gypsy studied Bill's frame. He was… gorgeous. All of his skin was a light bronze, shoulders broad and torso coming down to a soft V shape, muscular and lean. Somehow it made Dipper's stomach twist in a wonderfully delicious way that was usually reserved for… no. No thinking of that. The only blemish that took away from the overall beauty was the dark shackle curse marks on Bill's wrists and the scar that circled his neck.

There were a few other scars peppering across Bill's chest and stomach, possibly even his back, but nothing like the nasty one that looped his neck. Dipper's next movement surprised them both. Gently, slowly, he reached up and traced his pale fingers along the side of the blonde's neck and down to the hollow of his throat. A small shiver racked Cipher's body before he hastily caught the fair hand in an almost painful grip. He gave the brunet a hard look before pushing him back.

Then Bill took a soft breath and leaned down, starting at Dipper's collar bone and trailing hot open mouth kisses down the brunet's chest and across his stomach. His tongue entered those kisses and a couple times his teeth nipped at the skin. The pale body beneath the tanner ones hands started to tremble again. A small, gentler smile curved on Bill's lips as he caught the edges of Dipper's black pants in his fingers. With a sharp tug he pulled them down, revealing smooth hipbones, which he flicked his tongue across.

Another gasp escaped Dipper's mouth as he reluctantly lifted his hips up, allowing Bill to remove the last articles of clothing. It was then that he realized, with a bit of horror, he was already, almost entirely hard. "Are you sure you're not into men?" Bill commented, looking up the entire bare expanse of Dipper's body.

"N-No I-I.."

"I'm just kidding Pinetree. A body will always react to advances. A hand is a hand.." He gently traced his fingers up Dipper's pale inner thigh, then across his shaft, thumb stopping to smear a bit of precum down the tip. At this the brunet couldn't help but groan aloud. Bill's voice became deeper, and his eyes half-lidded "And a mouth is a mouth…" Then, as if to accent his point, he dropped lower and wrapped the gypsy's tip around his tongue before slowly diving down.

It was beyond anything Dipper had ever experienced before. Hot and slick and tight and alive. Shocks of pleasure dove up his spine as heat pooled in his stomach. His hands instantly tangled into blonde hair as his body went ridged. At first he thought he might push Bill off, but then he only ended up stroking through the golden locks and staring down at him. Every muscle coiled in on itself as he tried to relax down into soft blanket underneath his back. This felt good, almost too good. It unnerved him at how quickly his body responded to Bill's tongue.

The way Bill's mouth stretched to curl around him made Dipper's heart leap up into his throat. He could feel the enchanter's tongue slide down his shaft then back up, the tanner man's throat squeezing in as he swallowed around the gypsy's cock as it only got harder and harder. Dipper always thought he was average size, but from the way Bill didn't even flinch at taking all 6 inches made him wonder if he was under average.

Firelight outlined Bill's skin. He was still in his slacks, and Dipper couldn't help but admire the way the blonde's strong muscles flexed as he pressed himself up on his knees. His back was arched, and all the brunet could hear was soft swallowing, and even slurping sounds that were so lewd he turned scarlet. The noises echoed off the rocky cavern walls, and filled the damp air. Dipper's head fell back after a moment and he stared up at the high ceiling, trying to count the shadowy stalactites that pointed down at him like fangs.

The brunet didn't count very far, though, because as things started to heat up, he felt a very familiar tingling of pin pricks trail up his legs and across his chest. Bill's eyes met his and started to glow gold. They lit up his face and were even brighter than the flickering torchlight. It took a second in his blurred, lust filled mind, for Dipper to register that the enchanter was performing magick. Bill pulled back, a bit of drool dripping down his chin, and hoarsely whispered a few words in Latin.

It was like a string wrapped around his heart and squeezed. The prickling disappeared but a warm thrum of electricity enveloped Dipper's skin. For a second the pair's skin glowed living, shifting, thrumming gold. Then it faded out like dying candlelight. However, the air stayed charged with magick. It was like a heady heat that left Dipper drunk. The older man took a deep breath, his hand stroking Dipper's shaft as he smirked just a little "Now with that done.. the real fun begins." He gave the brunet a hard squeeze before whispering another word that Dipper didn't catch. Even as the gypsy tried to pay attention to the magick in the air, all he could really think about now was how annoying it was that Bill's mouth wasn't giving him attention and the large stroking hand was going too slow.

But in a far part of his mind, Dipper realized that Bill had just put a net around them. That golden glow was a magickal cage that would catch all the energy given off from here on out. He didn't have much time to recite back the mechanisms of it, or think about how it worked, because the next thing he knew, a warm slick something was probing open his ass cheeks.

His fingers tightened in Bill's hair, and he sat up a little only to feel the grip on his shaft leave and push at his stomach "Relax Pinetree, and it'll hurt less." Bill instructed, his breath brushing Dipper's cock, making it twitch. "Just focus on this.." The blonde whispered, running his tongue from the bottom of the brunet's shaft, up and flicked along the slit. This single action made Dipper's arms go to jelly and he fell down onto his back. His fingers left the golden hair and fisted up in the blankets instead. The moment he relaxed he felt the twirling finger on his sensitive, coil of muscles press in and slowly slid up to the knuckle in his tight, wet heat.

Despite the sharp pain that burned in a place that never burned before, Dipper found himself groaning again. Bill matched the movement of his slick finger with the bobbing of his head, both distracting the brunet and driving him mad. These sensations were so new and wonderful and terrible that Dipper slowly unraveled.

Almost too quickly he found himself breaking. Dipper gave a sharp cry when he felt Bill's finger curl up inside of him. It tickled something that sent a shock of pleasure through every nerve and collected in his cock. That mixed with the blonde's talented swirling tongue was enough to send him over the edge. Dipper tried to stutter out a warning but it was too late. He cam hard and long. Each muscle tensed and his hands went to Bill's hair and stilled his bobbing movements, involuntarily keeping the blonde from jerking away.

Bill swallowed twice and obediently waited for the brunet to uncoil before he pulled back "D-Damn kid.. I wasn't expecting that.." He panted a little, a drip of cum rolling down his chin out of the corner of his mouth.

"I-I'm.. sorry." Dipper stuttered, dropping his hands from Bill's hair and bringing them up to his face. He rubbed his eyes and then tangled them in his hair overhead. The brunet's chest rose and fell rapidly as he tried to catch his breath, body stretched out. After a few moments of silence, he looked up to see Bill studying him. It was almost like he was devouring the younger man with his mismatched eyes, a look of longing in them, until they met Dipper's brown ones. Then they became guarded again.

"Doesn't matter.." Bill reached up and wiped off his mouth with his free hand, his left one still between Dipper's thighs. "I'm not done preparing you though.. so just relax ok?" He gave a quick shake of his head, flicking his blonde hair from his eyes and studying Dipper's face as he went back to work.

A second digit joined the first, and curled up inside of Dipper's ass, feeling his inner walls. This action made the brunet arch his back and tangle his fingers in his own hair. He had to hold onto something, anything, to stay grounded. It hurt. It hurt a lot. But the slick liquid that Bill had coated on his fingers quickly made the pain dull. Then it was a pressure, but not an uncomfortable one. It was hot and the fingers spread and pressed at sensitive places he wasn't used to. Forcing his eyes open, Dipper stared up at Bill nervously. A blush covered most of his body, even blooming his chest red. The blonde's own eyes were intently watching Dipper's expressions, and body language.

Bill reached down with his free right hand and stroked the top of Dipper's chest "That's right.. breathe Pinetree. Don't fight it. Let that energy flow out of you." He chuckled a little, lightly trailing his fingertips down the brunet's chest, thumb and pinky brushing his nipples. Another gasp and groan left Dipper's lips.

"Don't look at me like that." Dipper muttered, trying to bite back his moans. The heat and pressure in his ass was starting to build. Surprisingly his cock was getting hard again. It had never come back that fast before.

"Like what?" A small smirk curved in Bill's expression as his free fingers tweaked the brunet's right nipple. He set up higher on his heels so he could lean over Dipper even further.

"Like.. I don't know. Like you want to eat me." The brunet stuttered over his words, brain not working quite right. It was having a sensation overload, and goosebumps covered most of his skin.

"Maybe I do." Bill whispered, narrowing his eyes wickedly "You're breathtaking." The blonde's eyes widened a bit, seeming to be surprised by his own confession.

Dipper blinked, pausing for a moment. Before he could say anything, he felt Bill's hand removed. It left an empty spot inside of him, craving for it again. "What are y-"

"Turn over.." Bill muttered, pushing at the pale gypsy's legs, forcing him to turn onto his hands and knees. His voice was serious again, not as soft, and he even cleared his throat a little.

"You're not seriously making my first time be in doggy style.." Dipper complained, fisting his hands in the blankets beneath him. He stared down at the twisting vine pattern, studying it though he had no real interest in it. The rocky ground underneath was barely comfortable under his knees, the blankets making just a little bit of a barrier. He felt Bill spread his thighs more and Dipper bit painfully down on his bottom lip as he realized how vulnerable this position really was. Bill could see literally everything.

"It feels better this way. You'll be thanking me later." The older man snickered, and Dipper could hear him undoing his pants, unzipping them.

It was about to happen. The brunet knew it and his heart leapt into his throat. He wanted to say something, maybe stop it or beg for mercy or…

The tip of Bill's hard cock pressed to Dipper's tight ass, rubbed up and down, effectively smearing more of that burning, pain numbing lube the blonde had. Then it pressed hard on the hole, forcing its way in. Once Bill had his tip inside, he gave a small thrust of his hips. Dipper jolted forward a little, nearly losing his balance, but Bill gripped his shoulder and kept him from pulling away.

"F-Fuck! B-Bill it hurts.." Dipper whimpered, trying to breathe through the pain but finding it difficult to take in a single breath. He felt the blonde's free callused hand rub his spine, from his neck to his lower back, and then steadied his hips, forcing him to sit back onto the hard cock sliding into him.

"Shh.." Bill whispered, leaning forward so that his chest brushed the brown eyed man's back. "It'll feel good soon kid.. just wait." A soft kiss was placed between his shoulder blades as Bill grunted and thrust again.

Surprisingly, after the head of Bill's dick was inside the lube and preparation came in handy. The blonde thrust his hips forward again and again, gently probing himself deeper and deeper. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Dipper heard Bill give a long, quiet groan and felt hips press firmly to his ass. There was nothing between them now. Dipper felt the cloth of Bill's pants rub against his bare thighs, and the blonde's thumb soothingly rubbed against his hipbones.. Bill's breath brushed against his shoulder blades, and the blonde gently bit down on his shoulder, making him whimper.

It was like an empty part of him that he didn't realize craved something had been satisfied. He could feel Bill all the way into his stomach. The blonde's cock was hot and throbbing and rubbed deep inside of him in such a delicious way that the pain quickly disappeared. Dipper's head tilted forward, his lips parted as he let out a shaky groan, and he wiggled his hips back against Bill, pressing them as close together as he could. At that moment he wondered why he had ever been scared of this. There was nothing else but this moment. Nothing else but Bill's tongue licking the mark he just made. Bill's hands on his shoulder and hip. Bill touching every inch of his skin. Dipper had truly forgotten all of his inhibitions, and though he knew he should be scared, he wasn't.

The blonde's hips didn't stay still for long. Bill pulled out almost all of the way before slamming back in with a hard thrust that had Dipper seeing stars. There was a satisfying smack of skin meeting skin. The hand on the brunet's shoulder tightened as Bill kept moving. Thrust after thrust he pounded into Dipper hard and nearly ruthlessly.

"G-Gods Bill~" Dipper moaned, clenching his hands tighter into the blankets. His body trembled with how tightly his muscles were coiled. Sweat built up across his skin, and pleasure was beginning to pool in his stomach and up through all of his limbs. He didn't know how he felt pleasure in his fingers and toes, but fuck Bill had him there.

The blonde didn't say anything in reply to Dipper's moan, but he squeezed his shoulder once before dropping his hand back to the gypsy's hip. Leaning forward, he kept thrusting his hips but used his right hand to take the brunet's neglected, hard cock into his grasp. Bill quickly began stroking Dipper in time with his quick pace. His breath was hot on the back of the pale gypsy's neck, and his moans became progressively louder and more frequent.

Dipper's eyes squeezed shut and he groaned again, arching his back and shakily moving his hips with Bill's hand. It took a moment but after a few awkward untimed thrusts, they formed a rhythmic dance between their bodies. Bill's chest was draped over Dipper's back, hand moving against the brunet's hardening cock. The Cipher's tongue traced against the younger man's spine as he thrust into him.

As the pleasure rose higher and higher, Dipper became aware of a tickling sensation in his mind. It was like a passageway had been opened inside of his head, one he hadn't at first noticed because of the immense sensations and pleasure the brunet had been too focused on.

Doing his best to not focus on the shocks of ecstasy with each thrust of Bill's hips, Dipper focused on that warm, tickling sensation. He pressed through the passage and found himself metaphorically facing a cold glass wall. The gypsy shoved against it once, twice, and then felt it give. An internal shattering occurred and Dipper felt an onslaught of emotions whip around him. The strange thing was that he knew they weren't his own.

"Pinetree~ Get.. out of my head…" Bill groaned, digging his nails into Dipper's hips.

Lust, desire, anger, and even fear and anxiety. It was an array of colorful emotions. No memories, or clear thoughts, just emotions. The emotions mixed with Dipper's own in a bit of a typhoon and washed over him.

"I-I didn't mean.. I~ Nnngh.." Just as he was about to apologize, Dipper felt a wave of heat overwhelm him as he cam. The pleasure had built to a peak that he couldn't handle. White cum spilt over Bill's stroking hand and wrist, dripping down his fingers and across the brunet's stomach. Dipper's entire body clenched up and the enchanter managed two more good, hard thrusts before he buried himself hilt deep into the hot cavern. His own seed filled the gypsy up to the brim and spilled out down his milky thighs and across the blanket.

Bill hugged Dipper's waist and lifted him up. In the heat of the passion, Dipper pressed his back to the blonde's stomach and wrapped his arm around the tan neck. His fingers buried into the dark roots of lover's hair, and the brunet stared into Bill's eyes.

Right then… right there… he felt a sudden wave of adoration. Then surprise. Then, just as Dipper tilted his head and captured Bill's lips into a kiss, he felt the magick disappear and the link was cut off.

The pair kissed hard. Messy. Teeth biting lips. Then tongues wrapping around one another in an all-encompassing, devouring embrace. In that moment it was hard to tell where one body ended and another started. Sweat and cum smeared, and then tears made the kiss salty.

After a few long minutes, Bill was the one to tug back. He slid himself out of Dipper, untangled his arms, and then stood up. Without the support, the brunet fell back onto his butt. He tried to support himself up on his arms, but he ended up crumbling onto his back. Brown eyes stared up at Bill, and Dipper's lips parted to say something, then he thought better of it. His cheeks were damp with tears, and he watched as the blonde adjusted himself back into his pants. Before Bill could turn away, Dipper caught sight of his glittering, golden eyes. There were tears there.

"You know… it's rude to go into someone's mind." Bill muttered, reaching down and picking up his shirt.

"I didn't mean to." Dipper's voice was sore, but so were his legs and arms and ass. The lube was starting to wear off, and he felt a bit of discomfort as the cum still dripped out. Why had did he have to cum inside?

"Normally people I do this with don't notice that bond that's created." The blonde rolled his eyes and finally turned back to stare down at Dipper with a bit of a hard, disapproving gaze. All of the tears were gone, and Dipper wondered if they had even been there at all.

"That spell.. doesn't create a bond." The gypsy responded, remembering reading about energy collection magick. He slowly tried to wipe off a bit of the fluids on his stomach and chest. They just stuck to his palm and made his nose wrinkle in disgust. It was all quickly drying and he wanted a bath, but that wouldn't happen for a while.

For a couple seconds Bill simply stared down at him, his lips pressed together and eyes far away. It made Dipper freeze and stare back, even his breath stopped. Then, finally, the blonde shook himself and lifted his free hand. His palm faced Dipper as he muttered a couple of words, and a bit of a shining glow came from his hand and covered the younger man in blue light. Then it disappeared and Bill walked away.

Dipper's hand fluttered to his stomach and he quickly realized the cum and mess was gone. His fingers brushed down his hips and too his ass, even it was clean, thankfully. He still felt almost unbearably sore. Turning his head, he flicked his dark bangs out of his eyes and followed the enchanter with his gaze.

Bill was still shirtless, shaking out the cloth and smoothing the wrinkles. Torchlight created dramatic shadows along his muscled back as he shrugged the clothing back on. His long fingers took a moment to button it up. Then he turned a little, giving Dipper a nice profile view, and whispered a few words as his eyes fell closed. His golden hair floated up as if blown by nonexistent air and the gypsy felt a thrum of magick heat up his naked skin.

It seemed to throb from the ground and ceiling, making a few loose stones tremble and patter. A white glow started to swirl around Bill and he lifted up his arms. Light immediately began to collect and fill up his tan, outstretched palms. Dipper watched with wide eyes as a soft ball of light took up the cupped palms. Bill's eyes were half lidded as he stared down at the light, seeming to study it with utter seriousness. It took a couple minutes for the light to settle and stop collecting or swirling. After a few moments he seemed to deem it worthy, giving a small nod, and brought it up to his lips, voice dropping low as he whispered something else that sent a shiver down Dipper's spine. Shimmering glass encased the light, locking it in a clear box and then Bill slowly walked over to his crumpled cloak and hid the light away.

That must have been the energy from Dipper's virginity. Bill had to collect and condense it from the magickal net. Even though he wanted to, Dipper didn't dare get up to go get a closer look at the box. He wasn't sure if he could really move anyway. "If the spell didn't create the bond.. what did?" Dipper finally asked after several more long minutes of watching Bill walk along the perimeter of the coal mine. His long tan fingers brushed over the rough walls, much like the first time he had done this magick.

"A side effect." The blonde responded flippantly, not looking at him. His gold eyes were glowing again, casting shadows along his sharp cheekbones. It was like a cold wall had encased him again, and Dipper tried to ignore the chilly bite behind Bill's words.

The gypsy pursed his lips in thought. A side effect from the curse undoubtedly. It didn't make much sense to him, but apparently a side effect had allowed him a glimpse into Bill's emotions. If Dipper really wanted to understand it, he would have to do more research. The blonde was so closed off that it was almost an exciting treat to have gotten that glimpse. He had felt anxiety. Dipper never thought Cipher could be nervous about anything. Then fear, probably at the realization of being vulnerable. Then… adoration? A moment.. for a single moment… Dipper had felt that, and it had hit him so close to his heart that he felt it too.. towards Bill.

For a single moment he had adored Bill in a way he never thought possible, and Bill had felt the same way. It had to be some sort of fluke, there was no reason for Bill to feel that way.

And how could Dipper feel that way either? He loved Wendy and..

Oh gods.. Wendy…

Just a thought of her sent a shock of guilt so strong his throat closed up. It made tears prick his eyes. He had just done something that utterly betrayed her.  
He had literally just been fucked by a guy.  
A guy who gave him and his twin nightmares. Who refused to get him and Mabel to safety. Who was an asshole in every way, shape, and form.  
And… he had liked it.

Blinking quickly, Dipper looked up at Bill and watched as the blonde's face lit up blue above the fire in his hands. The enchanter had started his end of the deal. His expression was serene as his lips moved in a bit of a song, voice carrying over to the brunet. The song was familiar now, and sent chills down Dipper's spine. Somehow, the enchanter's magick was more beautiful than the gypsy remembered. This kind of powerful magick took Dipper's breath away. Even from where he was laying, Dipper couldn't help but be in a bit of rapture. Orbs of fire escaped the main flame in Bill's palms and swept across the cavern. One floated above Dipper's head and hit the wall to his left, making it ripple like water.

Bill was… stunning..

Dipper jerkily turned away, facing the ceiling again, and pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes. A chocked sob escaping him. No… no he couldn't think that. He couldn't like sex with Bill. He couldn't think Bill was gorgeous. Wendy. Wendy. Wendy.. But her face was blurry in his mind's eye, and his body was still somehow thrumming in pleasure. His ears could only hear the enchanter's steady voice, and his body tingled at the sound. His skin and heart reacted to every syllable that rolled across Bill's tongue. Heat coming in waves from the enchanter's magick wrapped around Dipper and coiled like blissful gold in his stomach. All of it washed Wendy's memory away.

"But I'm not gay!" Dipper whispered furiously to himself, rubbing at the tears in his eyes. "At least.. I wasn't.." Another wave of magick coated him and he felt more tears pricking behind his palms. This was all wrong, completely wrong. He opened his eyes and they trained on the blurry vision of Bill's profile. Dipper tried to blink away the tears, and another sob shook his chest as he closed his eyes again. He closed his eyes to Bill's beautiful face, and tried to picture Wendy.

But he just couldn't seem to remember what color her eyes were, or even picture her smile.


	9. Linked

A loud THUD echoed through the mineshaft. Dipper practically jumped out of his skin, and gave a sharp gasp. He had been in the middle of buttoning up his shirt, and he paused, three buttons from the bottom, in order to whirl around to the cursing behind him. The blue glow from Bill's flame had died out. He quaked on his hands and knees, barely able to hold himself up from the ground. Sweat glistened in the firelight across his forehead, and his blonde hair swept across his face like grassy wisps.

Bill's long fingers scrapped into fists against the sandy earth, and his teeth ground together as his mismatched eyes screwed shut. It seemed that he was trying to push off his knees, but his muscles were weak and shaking too hard. Then his body flickered, jerking in and out of existence. Vines of ashy smoke wafted off of his back and hands, faint and quickly disappearing. A failed teleport no doubt. The walls of the cave glowed softly from the golden streams peeking out from within the walls. Just a second earlier the enchanter's spell had slowly faded out, finished. Dipper didn't know what could have happened.

"What the hell?! Are you ok?" The gypsy hurried over to Bill's side, trying to ignore the burning sensation and ache that sudden movement caused his limbs and insides. It had only been an hour or so since they had finished. He dropped down in front of the older man and reached out to touch his shoulder, then frowned and decided against it.

The enchanter gave a low warning growl and his eyes glowed gold as they glared up at Dipper from beneath his bangs. "G-Get away.." He demanded, only to clutch the front of the brunet's shirt and tug him down, hard. His breath brushed Dipper's neck, making goosebumps crawl up his skin. Bill's tan hand was shaking even as he roughly held the brunet in place. A sudden tingling sensation bloomed behind Dipper's eyes, inside his mind.  
His stomach twisted and it felt like his head was going numb and he was falling asleep…

 _There was a quick flash of painful gleaming fangs ripping at his arm, and Mabel's scream filling Dipper's ears_ , but then it flickered out. Somewhere far away he felt Bill shove him back to the ground. His body fell limp and his head bounced hard against the rock. Sharp pain shot through his skull to his eyes. The action gave a good foot of space between them. "I-I can't… feed." The raspy voice of the blonde was like a whisper from underwater.

After a couple seconds of blinking, staring up at the dark ceiling, the gypsy finally pushed the nightmare away. It was just a nightmare.  
Shivers of fear and adrenaline still made his heart pound. Then anger…  
Bill had been trying to give him a fucking nightmare while he was still awake. "What.. the hell is going on?!" Dipper muttered, repeating himself, and sitting back up off the ground. He pushed up with his hands and dusted dirt off his crumpled shirt. His head ached from where Bill had smacked it down on the stone floor, and he gingerly touched it with his fingers, wrinkling his nose in annoyance when he felt a bit of blood.  
But the annoyance quickly disappeared with anxiety as his eyes trained on Bill again.

The blonde fell onto his side, clearly giving up on trying to get back up. His hands wrapped around his broad shoulders, crossing over his chest. His knees curled up to his stomach, body ridged. Bill's cheek pressed to the ground and he tilted his chin up so he could stare, or glare, over where Dipper was half sitting up. "I used too much energy." He growled out, still trying to sound ferocious even though he couldn't move. His golden eyes outright pointed the blame to Dipper, making the brunet shiver at the hard sternness behind them.

If an enchanter used too much energy… they died, usually immediately. Or their body would slowly regenerate it, though they were utterly vulnerable until then. It all depended on the person and how far they pushed themselves. It was surreal to think that the 'all-powerful' Bill could use too much energy.. but he had performed an intricate collection spell, and just done the impossible again by changing coal into gold. In fact, he had created more gold this time…

"Well.. just relax and you'll feel better soon enough.. I'm not going to mug you or anything." Dipper shrugged awkwardly, fidgeting with a frayed end of his pants. He studied the vine-like scars across his fingers and the back of his hand, really looking anywhere but at Bill. Depending on how much time this took, this might be a long night. Maybe he should drag Bill over to the pallet? Make him more comfortable? But he didn't want to touch the enchanter and anger him even more than he already was.

Bill's eyes dimmed and his hair fell across his face, but he didn't make a move to fix it. He looked pale, even in the fluttering torchlight. It was like his skin had been stretched too far, taking an pasty touch, and was made brittle. Dark violet bruises were forming around his eyes. His lips were fading to blue, and even a trail of blood started to bead from his nose and slide down across his panting mouth. "You don't get it.. do you kid…?" He stated softly, shifting and wincing so he could curl up tighter. "I'm not normal. I don't generate my own energy. I feed." A bitter laugh escaped him and the blood stained the front teeth in his mouth, glinting scarlet against the white "I'm a leech. I can't survive on my own. I feed on misery and nightmares. But I'm too weak to even create a fucking nightmare!"

So… Bill Cipher.. was dying. The mineshaft fell quiet, Bill's words echoing off the dank walls, and Dipper found himself frowning more and more. An intense feeling of something like panic fluttered deep in his chest. Despite his utter anger and confusion and all the other strange emotions that swirled inside himself whenever Bill was around… he didn't hate him. Dipper didn't want to see him die, especially not before the blonde got him and his twin away from Gideon.  
Panic made Dipper's throat close a little, and stomach feel tight.

"What can I do?" The brunet asked quickly, shifting to move closer. He rested with his legs crossed, by Bill's stomach and went to touch him again, fingers almost brushing the blonde's shoulder, but yet again hesitated. Whenever Mabel was hurt, Dipper would comfort her with cuddles and hugs, but he was scared to cross some boundary and just make Bill all the more uncomfortable.

"Nothing. I'm too weak remember? I can't give you a nightmare a-and I c-can't c-create a n-net to collect misery.." Bill rasped out faintly, biting with his words. He smirked and chuckled mockingly "I-If you want t-to break a finger to try and f-feed me misery.. I would love to w-watch." His shoulders hunched up around his neck and hands, eyes never leaving Dipper. Despite the perpetual sarcasm.. It was like he was waiting for the brunet to hurt him, or maybe to take advantage of the predicament they were in. The funny thing was that Dipper didn't know how he could take advantage of the situation even if he wanted to. Bill was acting like a wounded dog, awaiting the stronger predators to feast on his useless flesh.

Dipper chose to ignore the last comment, and continued "There has to be something! Do you have to get energy through pain and nightmares?"

Bill spat out a bit of blood that had collected in his mouth, and it splattered a bit on Dipper's shoes. Neither of them said anything, though. The blonde's fingers dug into his shoulders as a painful shiver caused his body to uncontrollably jolt "N-No.. technically.. But I never feed the other way." Bill wouldn't meet Dipper's worried gaze, his lips were pursed and eyes staring blankly at the ground.

"Now doesn't seem like the time to be picky." Dipper chided, leaning closer, elbows pressing against his knees "What do we have to do?" The curious part of the brunet's mind was kicking in now. The part that craved knowledge, but the anxious part had him speaking quickly and trying to urge Bill to hurry up. The older boy was deteriorating by the minute, sweat making his shirt cling to him and body succumbing to harsh shudders and spasms.

Annoyance crossed Bill's features as he shook his head "I-It's with a direct l-link. I'll drain the energy d-directly from whoever I'm linked with, but that p-person has to be willing to d-do it." If the blonde wasn't so pale, Dipper thought he might be blushing. "You could see h-how th-that rarely happens." Bill gave a quick, too wide smile before wincing and continuing "But I would rather d-die than do it."

Skeptically Dipper raised an eyebrow "Is it that painful…?" He hadn't ever read much about exchanging energy directly. There wasn't much written about it, or maybe he hadn't cared enough to really look that deeply into it. Even when he was looking into Bill's curse, direct feeding never came in.

A scoff escaped Bill as he flexed his fingers, releasing his shoulders only to clamp them back down "No.. Just embarrassing. A direct link does exactly that. It directly connects our memories and minds." His voice trembled a little and he coughed, a bit of blood staining more of the ground, and smearing across his chin. The blood caused dirt to cling to his skin, and Bill's nose wrinkled in obvious annoyance. "I-Its.. different with everyone.. but I avoid it when I can…"

So what they had experienced before.. when Dipper felt Bill's emotions.. was like a 'taste' of what a direct link was like. It made the gypsy's stomach flip and heart flutter a little at the thought. Now he understood why the blonde was so reluctant. Bill obviously didn't like people being close to him, so this was the ultimate 'guards down' experience. "So you would rather die than let me in your head?" Dipper finally asked sarcastically, fidgeting with his hands. There was dirt under his nails, and he attempted to pick it out, mostly fidgeting. His butt was getting cold and falling to sleep against the hard ground, he shifted and ran a hand through his messy hair.

Torchlight caught golden strands of Bill's hair as he shook his head. His eyes closed for a moment, eyebrows knitting together and his teeth bit down hard on his bottom lip. A drip of blood escaped down from the corner of his lip as he let out a sharp breath "Just.. help me up." His voice was strong despite being gravely, and his eyes opened to scowl up at Dipper.

Within a second the brunet was grasping Bill's elbows and gently helping him sit up. The blonde's body trembled and he hissed at the movement, but he didn't stop Dipper's progress. Bill finally ended up with his hands on Dipper's shoulders, balancing himself, and barely managing to not fully slump against the brunet. His head was bowed, and his breath came out in wheezing puffs of air, legs crossed and fingers digging into the gypsy's forearms.

Dipper's pale hands rested on the blonde's elbows, using the fabric of his shirt as a hold to keep Bill up. This was… strange. Even though the older teen was trembling, and obviously weak, he still gave Dipper a dominating expression that made the brunet want to shrink away.

Before the gypsy could say anything, Bill spoke up a bit forcefully "This isn't going to be a deal. I'm not going to give you anything if you help me. Got it?"

Brown eyes blinked up at the tanner man, and Dipper pursed his lips. That hadn't even actually crossed his mind. He had simply wanted to help… but it seemed Bill was waiting for a shoe to drop, or a rug to be pulled out from under him. It was almost.. cute.

Licking his lips thoughtfully, Dipper stated quietly in return "Alright.." Nothing more, nothing less. Just a simple word.

"I've already fulfilled my end of our last bargain and this is really your fault anyway-" Bill stopped, having started rambling and apparently not registering what Dipper said. He frowned, almost pouted, and then narrowed his eyes a little suspiciously. "Alright.." He repeated, hands trembling a little as he brought up a palm and wiped away the dirt on his chin. When the brunet nodded for him to continue Bill cleared his throat "We won't be able to really control what we see. You can try to repress memories, or feelings, but it might not work. I-It won't h-hurt.. but you w-will be tired after.." Bill's teeth were starting to chatter, and his body was shaking with small tremors.

Dipper's eyes widened a fraction and then, before he could say anything in return, Bill cupped his face between two callused, tan hands. There was warmth in that touch, and a tingling sensation began to overtake his mind. Bill's eyes met Dipper's and they stared at one another for a few seconds. At first he fought the feeling, blinking it away. The feeling wasn't painful but it was so different from anything he had ever felt that he didn't know how to react. Then he felt a soft kiss pressed to his forehead. When had his eyes closed?

Bill's breath ghosted his lips as the blonde whispered "D-Don't fight.. it won't work if you fight.." For the second time that day, it was like Dipper was being spoken to while being under water. He could smell the blood on Bill's tongue, feel thumbs rubbing his cheekbones, and a forehead against his.. but his mind was slipping away. It was being filled with a golden static, and then an abrupt, sharp tug on something deep inside of him.

From far away he heard the blonde sitting across from him take a deep breath… a pathway had been opened between them. In his mind eye, Dipper could see it. He felt his energy being drained into Bill just as he slowly lost the perception of time and his own body.

 _At first it was like Bill was all around him._  
 _Warmth, all-encompassing heat and yet chills traced down his spine._  
 _This place was a throbbing gold._  
 _It pulsed in his temples and eyes and heart._  
 _He couldn't see anything but black and gold._  
 _No not black….. nothingness._  
 _Nothingness didn't have a color, it was just… nothing._  
 _Nothing and gold._

 _Bill's soul, or essence, or energy was the most tangible, beautiful, shifting gold that Dipper had ever seen. It was the color of the sun, probably the color of his magick._  
 _Dipper could feel his own emotions being drowned out by all the ones the blonde was feeling._  
 _Fear, anxiety, anger, dependence.. and more and more.. Ones the brunet couldn't quite pin down before they were swept away by another._

 _It was too much.. way too much._  
 _He needed to get away from it.. Somehow. It didn't matter how._  
 _He just desperately needed to or his mind might shatter!_  
 _Then he saw a flicker of something else. A flicker of multiple colors, and he grasped onto it._  
 _It was something other than the golden emotions.._  
 _Then he was falling._

 _There was no fade into existence, no flash of things coming together._  
 _One minute Dipper was in an onslaught of Bill's emotions, the next he was standing in the middle of an ashy ally._

 _It wasn't any ally that Dipper recognized. Just a small grimy space between two towering buildings with stained red brick. The sky was clear, but dimming and over the edge of the tin roof at the far end of the ally the brunet could see the orange and red of a shimmering sunset. Dumpsters and piles of trash took up most of the walking space. The shuffling and chattering of crowds was far away, somewhere back behind Dipper. To his left he heard the sound of puking, and to his horror, right in front of him… a puddle of blood was starting to roll its way to the toe of his black dress shoe. It was thick and dark and its source was a cracked, grotesque skull._

 _A small hole dripped blood down a crooked beak of a nose, and the back of the man's skull was almost entirely gone thanks to the exit wound. The body's carroty hair shimmered with red clumps of gore. His glassy green eyes were opened wide and almost flat, staring off beyond Dipper's legs, but really at nothing at all. Brain matter splattered across the dirt ally pathway, and some even dripped down from a dumpster that had been too close._

 _With a small jump, Dipper recoiled back, hands covering his mouth and eyes. The sight nearly sent his stomach rolling. However, he became quickly aware of the fact that he could see through his hands and his feet didn't even fully touch the ground. This was a memory. Bill's memory._

 _Another loud gagging sound echoed down the ally and the brunet turned his wide brown eyes to see a small boy, probably a little younger than he was. The boy was in a dark black cape, his hand fisted up in it as he knelt on his knees and puked again into a pile of trash. Tears stained his grubby, grim face. A bit of blood was splattered across his features, and a shining black gun lay forgotten near his feet._

 _"I had been too pathetic to use my own hands, or even my own magick." Bill's voice made Dipper flinch again, and he turned to see the 22 year old blonde sitting up on a grey dumpster.. well, in a sitting position, he was still hovering on it. The blonde ran a hand through his hair and his chin tilted up as he gestured to the sobbing individual "So I went through the trouble of stealing a gun just to get this done." His face was grave and he stared disapprovingly down at the form that couldn't be anything but Bill's younger self._

 _"H-How.. old were you…?" Dipper asked quietly, eyes training back on the little boy. The child wasn't really a child now that the gypsy studied more but.._

 _Younger Bill's golden eyes were wide, unseeing as he stared up at the pale blue sky. He had slumped back against the grimy wall, just out of reach of his own vomit and the dripping blood from the corpse. His knees were to his chest and his clammy hands wouldn't stop trembling as they tangled in his short spiky hair. There was so much grief, and horror, and panic on the tan features that Dipper couldn't feel anything more than pity._

 _He was seeing Bill's first murder, and instead of feeling rage, or sickened, or any number of appropriate emotions… he felt pity._

 _Dipper already knew Bill was a killer, but seeing it like this… was entirely different. From the corner of his eye, the gypsy saw the tanner teen bristle at the feeling of pity that passed between them. So while in these memories, they could feel some of each other's stronger emotions… Dipper wished he could somehow repress it._

 _"15." Bill flashed his teeth in a cruel, bitter smile._

 _"Why did you…?"_

 _"A deal." Bill made a small snort of a noise as he jumped off the dumpster, obviously not appreciating the interrogation. Then he took a couple steps across the small ally, it didn't take too many strides because his legs were so long. He didn't even bother to step over the corpse, actually planting his foot on its back but it didn't even indent the short sleeved green shirt the person was wearing._

 _"I don't remember why the woman, Lady Beatrice I think, wanted that man dead. But I do remember she gave me a family heirloom to do it. It was a golden beetle, powerful weather magick can be done with that little sucker." Bill's voice was so calm, and collected, that it was almost like he didn't care that Dipper was seeing him at such a vulnerable moment… almost._

 _But Dipper could feel it. The uneasiness, the hatred, the white hot anger, and the shame._

 _Bill leaned against the wall beside his past self, and stared down at him. A look of puzzlement and concentration swept across his features, but Dipper didn't understand why. The blonde's hands clenched as he crossed his arms. He tucked his hands underneath his arms, still only in his vest and pale yellow long sleeve shirt, gloves missing._

 _Child Bill used the edge of his frayed cloak to wipe at his snotty nose and slowly stood up, staring down at the dead body. His knobby legs trembled a little, making his steps shaky. The boy's golden eyes looked so tired, and drained of life as he lifted his hand and whispered a few words.. Instantly the body caught on fire, a bright blue fire._

 _Dipper stumbled back further, expecting to feel the raging heat from it, but the pain from such a ferocious heat didn't come. It was strange to see Bill cry like that… to be a sobbing, vulnerable mess. It uncovered a new side of Bill that Dipper wasn't sure he wanted to see. A side he knew Bill didn't want him to see._

 _The older blonde paced back to the brunet's side, body as tight as a bow string. They didn't touch, and Dipper didn't even bother to glance away from the shimmering fire. He didn't have to. He could still sense Bill's presence beside him, close enough that his transparent skin tingled. The gypsy licked his lips and whispered "You were powerful even then.."_

 _"Being weak was never an option for me." Bill responded bitterly. Dipper's eyes flitted away from the 15 year old boy and met the golden eyes trained on him. They were tired, not much different than the eyes of his younger self. As different as Bill acted from his child self, Dipper still wondered how much had really… actually changed._

 _"How much longer until the link breaks?" Dipper suddenly questioned. He didn't know if he wanted to see anymore memories, and he definitely didn't want Bill inside his own head. He felt the fluttering of another golden emotion brushing him. They were softer here… Bill's emotions.. This one was amusement, and indeed Bill cracked a smile._

 _"It's only been 15 seconds.. this could take at least a minute or two Pinetree."_

 _Time moved differently here, and Dipper didn't know if he should be afraid.. or excited. Before he could say something else, he felt like he had been pushed or maybe tugged. Bill hadn't moved, neither of them had, but something had shoved them from that memory. They were being drawn into another._

 _There was a sensation of falling as various colors fluttered around him. He felt another, powerful emotion. Dipper didn't know if it was his own, or Bill's… but it was potent, and almost painful.._  
Dread.


End file.
